Brazil Supreme Court unseals corruption probe into presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro

Court unseals investigation files

Brazil's Supreme Court unsealed thousands of pages of judicial records disclosing a corruption and money laundering investigation into Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the conservative candidate challenging incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Justice Andre Mendonca, who was appointed to the court by former president Jair Bolsonaro, authorized the federal police inquiry in July 2026. The files became public following an unsealing order issued by Chief Justice Edson Fachin. Flavio Bolsonaro, aged 45, is currently tied in opinion polls with 80-year-old Lula ahead of a potential runoff vote scheduled for 25 October. Speaking during a campaign event in the northern city of Manaus, the senator stated that he had nothing to hide regarding his finances.

Film financing and Banco Master probe

The federal investigation examines financial transactions connected to the production of "Dark Horse", an unreleased biographical film about former president Jair Bolsonaro starring American actor Jim Caviezel. Investigators are probing whether Flavio Bolsonaro engaged in corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion linked to Daniel Vorcaro, the former head of failed lender Banco Master. Vorcaro was arrested in March 2026 in connection with an alleged 2.3 billion dollar fraud that affected roughly 800,000 banking clients. Data extracted by police from Vorcaro's mobile phone indicates that the banker transferred approximately 12 million dollars in 2025 to a United States fund linked to the candidate's brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro acknowledged in May 2026 that he sought private financing from Vorcaro for the film, while denying any wrongdoing.

Police execute warrants across production network

Federal police executed 50 search warrants targeting individuals and entities involved in the film's production over suspected public fund diversion. The operation targeted federal deputy Mario Frias, who serves as executive producer on the project, as well as Karina Gama, the head of production firm Go Up Entertainment. Court documents suggest that Eduardo Bolsonaro advised Vorcaro on the administration of the United States funds. Eduardo Bolsonaro rejected allegations that the capital constituted illicit payments.

They want to frame this as bribe money, which it isn't. That's a lie.

Political fallout ahead of October vote

Eduardo Bolsonaro claimed that the overseas fund transfers were designed to protect assets from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Justice de Moraes presided over the 2025 criminal case against Jair Bolsonaro, who received a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup against Lula following the 2022 election and is serving the term under house arrest due to health reasons. De Moraes also took part in a separate ruling that convicted Eduardo Bolsonaro for soliciting foreign interference in Brazilian politics. Corruption remains a central voter concern in Brazil, where Lula previously served 580 days in prison before his convictions were thrown out over judicial bias and procedural defects. Mayra Goulart, a political scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, evaluated the electoral consequences for both campaigns.

The impact of corruption scandals is much stronger for Lula's campaign than for Flavio Bolsonaro's, because they accentuate the rejection of the Workers' Party.