Brazil Supreme Court rift deepens as justice suspends federal police chief

By Al Jazeera Staff, Reuters and The Associated Press. Published On 8 Sep 20268 Sep 2026.

Key points

• Polls show Lula and Jair Bolsonaro's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in a tight race ahead of the first round of voting on October 4.
• The Supreme Court has been roiled by mutual accusations of wrongdoing between Justice Alexandre de Moraes, appointed under centre-right President Michel Temer, and Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee.
• "Investigating possible evidence of crimes is correct, " Institutional Relations Minister Jose Guimaraes, a top aide to Lula, remarked in response to the decision on social media.
• De Moraes has become a prominent target of right-wing criticism, particularly after he oversaw the case against Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup after the 2022 election.
• Mendonca, appointed by former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, has accused Rodrigues and Almada of producing six illegal reports on the activities of justices.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca has ordered the suspension of federal police chief Andrei Rodrigues and the force's intelligence chief Leandro Almada against the backdrop of growing divisions that have tested the credibility of the country's highest court.

For context, the suspensions were confirmed on Tuesday. Mendonca, appointed by former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, has accused Rodrigues and Almada of producing six illegal reports on the activities of justices.

Notably, the move was backed by a majority on one of the high court's five-member panels.

But it is projected to be challenged by the administration, possibly pulling the administration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva into a political battle ahead of October's presidential election.

"Investigating possible evidence of crimes is correct, " Institutional Relations Minister Jose Guimaraes, a top aide to Lula, remarked in response to the decision on social media. "But this measure smells electoral to me. That cannot happen."

Notably, the Supreme Court has been roiled by mutual accusations of wrongdoing between Justice Alexandre de Moraes, appointed under centre-right President Michel Temer, and Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee.

For context, a report detailing feasible links between de Moraes and disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro was produced public by Mendonca last week.

De Moraes, nevertheless, responded by accusing Mendonca of abusing his power, citing federal police intelligence reports and urging the court to investigate him. Mendonca has now challenged the legality of those reports.

Notably, the Vorcaro corruption scandal has widened to include powerful political figures on both the left and right.

Vorcaro was arrested in 2025 for allegedly overseeing one of the largest bank fraud schemes in the history of Brazil, leaving billions in owed funds.

After he approached the banker for assistance in funding a film concerning his father, flavio Bolsonaro has additionally faced scrutiny for his ties with Vorcaro. Jair Bolsonaro is at present serving a 27-year prison sentence.

Notably, the right-wing senator applied Tuesday's suspension to push his claim that the prosecution of his father was a political "witch-hunt". The Federal Police had recommended charges be brought against the elder Bolsonaro in November 2024.

"Lula's special group in the Federal Police officially unmasked, " Senator Bolsonaro wrote in a social media post. "May the honourable and glorious Federal Police regain its autonomy to go after criminals, and not Lula's political adversaries."

William Marcel Murad, the federal police's executive director, published a statement saying that Rodrigues has the agency's "full confidence" and that agents "will not be shaken by attacks".

In short, brazil Supreme Court rift deepens as justice suspends federal police chief is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.