Known in Brasilia for his extensive network of political connections, Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro has a contact list on his cell phone that includes ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and top brass in Congress. After the violation of the banker’s tax, banking and telematic secrecy, the INSS Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) received a file containing the telephone numbers that he recorded on his device. GLOBO identified at least three Supreme Court ministers, five senators, 20 deputies and a governor on the agenda.
There is no information about message exchanges or calls, just the contact list. When contacted, Vorcaro did not respond.
One of them is STF Minister Dias Toffoli, who is chairing the investigation into the Master’s alleged irregularities at the Tribunal. As GLOBO columnist Lauro Jardim revealed, Toffoli traveled by private jet to Lima, Peru, accompanied by the lawyer of a director of Banco Master. Days after the international trip, the minister declared the investigation confidential and ruled that all investigations into the institution should go through the Supreme Court.
Furthermore, on Friday the minister withdrew the parliamentary committee’s access to all confidential documents, such as financial data and WhatsApp messages.
Toffoli’s office explained that the businessman’s lawyers had requested the measures be annulled, which he rejected. Instead, the minister ordered that the documents be sent directly to the President of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre (União-AP), and be kept at the Presidency of the Chamber until further deliberation by the STF on the matter.
The president of the commission, Senator Carlos Viana (Podemos-MG), considered the court order “serious”, because it “weakens the investigation” and “increases distrust in society”.
Like Toffoli, Alcolumbre also appears in the contact list. When contacted for comment, they did not comment.
It was in the Senate that a legislative debate took place in 2024 which could have benefited Master in the midst of the bank’s expansion process. On this occasion, Senator Ciro Nogueira (PP-PI), who is on Vorcaro’s agenda, presented an amendment to the draft Proposal for Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) of the financial autonomy of the Central Bank which would increase the coverage of the Credit Guarantee Fund (FGC) from R$250,000 to R$1 million for financial investments such as CDB, the bank’s main product — the change would therefore allow to increase fundraising.
The device, known in Congress as the “Master Amendment,” was not included in the bill. At the time, the senator denied any intention of benefiting the bank. Contacted, Nogueira did not respond.
Another STF minister on Vorcaro’s agenda is Alexandre de Moraes. Contacted, he did not respond. According to columnist Malu Gaspar, from GLOBO, PF agents found a contract for the provision of services between the Master and the office of lawyer Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of the minister. According to the document found on Vorcaro’s cell phone, the expected monthly remuneration for this job was 3.6 million reais.
Also a member of the Court, Minister Kassio Nunes Marques appears in the telephone directory. To GLOBO, he said he had no connection to Vorcaro and that his contact had been “open” to many unknown people since the Senate hearing in 2020.
On the other side of Três Poderes Square, the Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), and his predecessor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), are on Vorcaro’s agenda. Motta had no comment. Lira, in turn, said that she had no relationship with the businessman, with whom she had never spoken on the phone. According to him, he said he only remembered two “institutional meetings”.
Vorcaro is a key player in investigations into alleged fraud involving the granting of false credit and crimes against the financial system. He was detained for nine days and released thanks to an electronic ankle bracelet.
The PF investigation which led to the arrest of Vorcaro and other directors of the Master, in addition to the dismissal of the president of the BRB, highlights that the financial operation of 12.2 billion reais was conceived out of “pure camaraderie” as an “attempt to stifle the supervision” exercised by the Central Bank. In November, Master was liquidated by BC.
Before being targeted by the Federal Police, Vorcaro stressed the importance of the network of political contacts. He told those close to him that he had made “strong friends” in Brasilia and that “in Brazil there is no way to walk without this type of protection.” Without this type of support, he said, he would not have gotten this far.
An episode he recounted illustrates the situation. The banker said that during negotiations with BRB for the purchase of the Master, the governor of the Federal District, Ibaneis Rocha (MDB), confided that he called a political ally to learn more about its history and that he received “great references” from him. This accreditation helped unlock a deal worth 12.2 billion reais between the public financial institution and Master, which needed these resources to survive in the market.
Ibaneis is one of the authorities on Vorcaro’s contact list. When the story Vorcaro told came to light, he denied it had happened.
— He sold the bank to BRB. Nothing would be more natural than having my phone number, the governor said.
In addition to his agenda, Vorcaro used a house in an upscale neighborhood of Brasilia to strengthen his ties to the political world. Last year he bought a 1,700 square meter mansion for 36 million reais, in a gated community, with stunning views of Lake Paranoá. The place has become a meeting point for parliamentarians and other authorities of the federal capital.
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