Mendonça to Rule on Lula Bank Records Plea
BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Tuesday, 20 October, 11:50 p.m. ET · Source: Superior Electoral Court filing, Poder360
Key Facts
- The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, elects its president in a runoff on Sunday 25 October between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
- What happened On Tuesday 20 October, Lula’s legal team asked the electoral court (TSE) to publish his bank, tax and phone records, and those of his family.
- The judge Minister André Mendonça, the court’s vice-president, was drawn by lot to rule on the request.
- The condition Lula ties the offer to Flávio Bolsonaro and six relatives doing the same, and asked for disclosure before Wednesday 21 October.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- Prediction markets Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro an 80.0% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 19.5% (20 October, 11:45 p.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 80% and Kalshi at 82% (Lula: 21% and 20%), as of 21 October, 12:20 am ET; prices are bets, not polls.
- Still open No ruling by Mendonça had been reported, and no reply from Flávio to the filing was found.
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
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Minister André Mendonça, vice-president of Brazil’s electoral court (TSE), was drawn on Tuesday 20 October to rule on a request by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to open his bank, tax and phone records. The request puts a new test before the court five days before the Brazil election 2026 runoff.
Lula’s lawyers filed it after a challenge at the Sunday 18 October debate, and it asks the court to publish the data before Wednesday 21 October. For investors and voters abroad, it keeps corruption at the centre of the final week.
What Lula Asked the Court to Do
The petition says Lula releases his own bank, tax and phone secrecy, plus that of First Lady Janja da Silva and his five children, according to Poder360, which published the full text. It asks that the data go on the court’s public DivulgaCandContas platform or another public website.
The release depends on Flávio Bolsonaro doing the same, Terra reported. The request covers records from the past eight years, and Lula wants voters to see them before choosing.
Whose Records Are Named
On Flávio’s side, the petition names the senator, his father and former president Jair Bolsonaro, and his mother Rogéria Bolsonaro. It also lists his wife Fernanda Bolsonaro and his brothers Carlos, Eduardo and Jair Renan Bolsonaro, ND Mais reported.
Companies in which either candidate is a partner or administrator are also included, O Liberal reported. O Liberal adds that if Mendonça does not accept Lula’s own request, Flávio will not be asked to comply.
Who Mendonça Is and What Comes Next
Mendonça is a justice of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and vice-president of the electoral court, Metópoles reported. A rapporteur is the judge who handles a case first and proposes how the court should rule.
The reports describe only the filing and the draw, and none mentions a decision. The date Lula requested, Wednesday 21 October, leaves little time before the vote on 25 October.
For the background, see our report on Lula’s offer.
What It Means for US Readers
Corruption questions can move Brazilian stocks, bonds and the real as fast as a poll. If you hold US-listed shares of Brazilian companies, headlines like this add to swings expected before 25 October.
A court order to publish family finances could dominate the final days. A refusal would leave the dispute to campaign rhetoric.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro an 80.0% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 19.5% (20 October, 11:45 p.m. ET). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has drawn about US$189.9 million in total bets; see our Brazil election odds page.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 80% · Lula 20.5% (US$190 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 82% · Lula 20%
As of 21 October, 12:20 am ET (05:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Mendonça will grant the request, how quickly he will rule, or whether the court can compel disclosure by a rival candidate. We found no reply from Flávio Bolsonaro to the filing itself.
It is also unclear whether any records will become public before Sunday’s vote. We will update this report if the court rules.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will rule on Lula’s request to open his bank records?
Minister André Mendonça, the electoral court’s vice-president, was drawn as rapporteur on Tuesday 20 October. No decision has been reported.
What exactly did Lula ask the electoral court to do?
He asked it to publish his bank, tax and phone records, and those of his wife and five children. He conditioned this on Flávio Bolsonaro and six relatives doing the same.
When did Lula want the records published?
His lawyers asked for disclosure before Wednesday 21 October. The runoff takes place on Sunday 25 October.
Why did Lula file the request?
The filing followed a challenge at the Sunday 18 October debate on the Band network. It turns that exchange into a formal court case.
When is Brazil’s runoff?
Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October, five days after this filing.
Sources: Poder360 (petition text), 20 October 2026; Metópoles, 20 October 2026; Terra, 20 October 2026; ND Mais, 20 October 2026; O Liberal, 20 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief