18 search-and-seizure warrants were executed on Thursday in a Banco Master bank probe, with operations carried out in Brasilia, Bahia and Sao Paulo and one warrant explicitly involving Senator Jaques Wagner.
Banco Master Liquidation and Links
Last year, Brazil’s courts ordered Banco Master to be liquidated, a legal step that preceded the widening probe and set the stage for Thursday’s raids; Daniel Vorcaro was arrested in March as he faced accusations of fraud, money laundering and other crimes, and investigators have pursued financial records and communications tied to the lender.
Senator Jaques Wagner Denial
75-year-old Jaques Wagner posted "My property is clean," after one warrant targeted him, and he denied receiving funds from Banco Master while saying he had received a "phone call of solidarity" from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva; the Workers’ Party Senate caucus issued a statement saying "fear not" in public backing of his position.
Augusto Lima and Daniel Vorcaro
One of the warrants also targeted Augusto Lima, a former business partner of Daniel Vorcaro, as federal police executed search-and-seizure measures across multiple addresses to gather documents and electronic evidence that prosecutors will use to map transactions and alleged coordination between the bank and political actors.
Millions of dollars, access to private planes and an apartment were cited by The Supreme Court as the types of undue economic advantages Wagner may have received through a possible illicit relationship with Banco Master; the court also said Wagner is accused of advocating for Banco Master’s interests by promoting a failed constitutional amendment that would have increased the amount of money that could be insured by a bank-fed fund during times of crisis.
The Supreme Court’s authorization of the warrant raises a narrow procedural question that matters now: what evidence specifically prompted the court to authorize the search-and-seizure order against Jaques Wagner, and which documents or communications tie the alleged benefits to his public actions on the failed amendment?
