Brazil Federal Police Director Removed Over Surveillance Claim
BRAZIL · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What happened STF justice Andre Mendonca ordered the preventive removal of the Federal Police director-general on 8 September 2026.
- —Who is out Director-general Andrei Passos Rodrigues and intelligence director Leandro Almada da Costa.
- —The allegation Mendonca says at least six PF intelligence reports produced between 3 and 31 August tracked him and the solicitor general.
- —The catch Mendonca issued the order himself, in a case where he says he is the person who was monitored.
- —The court The STF Second Panel formed a 3-0 majority the same day to keep the director-general removed.
- —The response The government has said it will appeal, while allies argue it must comply in the meantime.
A Supreme Court justice says the Brazil Federal Police monitored him for more than 30 days. He removed its two most senior officials on Tuesday.
Brazil’s Supreme Court has removed the two most senior officials of the Federal Police. The order came from a single justice on Tuesday.
Andre Mendonca ordered the preventive removal of director-general Andrei Passos Rodrigues. He also removed intelligence director Leandro Almada da Costa.
His stated reason is that the Brazil Federal Police monitored him. He says the monitoring ran for more than thirty days.
The decision was taken de oficio, meaning nobody asked for it. Mendonca acted on his own initiative.
What the Brazil Federal Police Is Accused Of
Mendonca describes what he calls systematic monitoring by the police intelligence branch. He puts the count at a minimum of six intelligence reports.
Those reports were produced by police units between 3 and 31 August 2026. He says they analysed his actions and his contacts.
One name recurs in them. Jorge Messias is the solicitor general, the head of the AGU, and Mendonca says the reports examined his relationship with him.
His wording is blunt. He calls it illicit monitoring of a justice of the country’s supreme court.
The Unusual Part
A judge who believes he was unlawfully watched is a plaintiff in substance. Mendonca is also the person who issued the order.
Brazilian procedure allows a rapporteur to act de oficio in cases already before him. That does not make the overlap invisible.
It is the point the government is expected to press on appeal. Whether it succeeds is a separate question.
The Second Panel of the court did not wait. It formed a majority the same day.
Where the Court Stands
The tally reported is three votes to nil to keep the director-general removed. That is a majority of the five-member panel.
Which justices formed it has not been set out in the available reporting. Neither has whether the panel has finished deliberating.
So the safest statement is the narrow one. A majority exists, and the removal stands for now.
What the Government Said
The government has decided to appeal, according to reporting from Tuesday. The instrument it will use has not been specified.
Allies of President Lula are arguing for compliance in the meantime. Their position is that the order must be obeyed while it is challenged.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. Refusing to comply would turn a legal dispute into an institutional one.
The Federal Police reports to the justice ministry, not to the court. Its director-general is a presidential appointment.
Why It Matters for Brazil
The Federal Police investigates the cases the Supreme Court judges. The two institutions are meant to work at arm’s length.
An accusation that one has been watching the other cuts at that arrangement. It also arrives in an election year.
For anyone following Brazil from abroad, the practical marker is simple. Watch whether the removal survives the appeal.
What to Watch
The first marker is the appeal itself. Its form will show how hard the government intends to fight.
The second is the intelligence reports. If they become public, the substance of the claim can be judged rather than described.
The third is who runs the Federal Police day to day. A prolonged vacancy at the top of the agency is its own problem.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was removed from the Brazil Federal Police?
Director-general Andrei Passos Rodrigues and intelligence director Leandro Almada da Costa, by order of STF justice Andre Mendonca on 8 September 2026.
Why were they removed?
Mendonca says police intelligence units produced at least six reports between 3 and 31 August that monitored him and solicitor general Jorge Messias. He calls it illicit monitoring of a supreme court justice.
Has the removal been upheld?
The STF Second Panel formed a 3-0 majority on the same day to keep the director-general removed. The government has said it will appeal.
Sources: Folha de Pernambuco, G1, Jornal do Brasil, SBT News, Rio Times.
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