Federal Public Prosecutor's Council Reviews Paulo Gonet's Conduct in Master Case

The High Council of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office assesses on Friday (25) the situation of the Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet. The collegiate debate over whether he should continue to lead investigations linked to the Banco Master after Federal Police found messages on the cell phone of former banker Daniel Vorcaro mentioning his name, which could compromise the impartiality of the cases.

The suspicions arose from conversations seized by the Federal Police on the cell phone of the former banker Daniel Vorcaro. In the messages, interlocutors make reference to names that the police interpreted as being Paulo Gonet and the director of the PF, Andrei Rodrigues. There are records of voice calls and reports of an event in London in April 2024 where Gonet would have shown enthusiasm for the invitation and requested the inclusion of his son in the trip.

There are also messages suggesting that senior officials should intervene to prevent subordinate agents from making decisions against the bank. The content of the conversations raised questions about the closeness between the Attorney General and people connected to the financial institution, which motivated the analysis of the MPF’s Superior Council.

Meeting assesses impartiality

The Superior Council of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is the body responsible for overseeing the administrative conduct of the members of the institution. On Friday, the councilors analyze the evidence collected by the Federal Police to decide if there are elements that justify any measure in relation to Gonet. The meeting takes place in a reserved manner, and the source has not detailed the time or format of the meeting.

The focus of the debate is the possible interference or lack of exemption of Gonet in the processes involving the Banco Master. The messages found on Daniel Vorcaro’s mobile suggest that the attorney general had maintained contact with people connected to the bank in a social context, which could configure a conflict of interest. However, so far, there is no confirmation that the conversations indicate any unlawful act by Gonet.

The Council has three main ways to deal with the situation. The first is filing, if you understand there's no evidence of misconduct. The second is Gonet’s removal specifically from the processes involving the Banco Master, appointing a sub-prosecutor to take over these investigations without him losing command of the PGR. The third and most serious path occurs if the counselors become clues to common crime.

Possible unfoldings

If the Council opts for archiving, the case is closed without any administrative sanction. Such a decision could be made if the board members consider that the messages do not demonstrate inappropriate conduct or that there is no link between Gonet’s contacts and decisions in the exercise of the office. The source did not detail the exact criteria for this assessment.

In the specific removal scenario, Gonet would cease to act only in cases related to Banco Master, but would continue as Attorney General of the Republic. A sub-prosecutor would be appointed to conduct these investigations, ensuring the continuity of the work without impartiality being questioned. This measure is seen as intermediate and less drastic than the loss of office.

The third path, considered the most serious, would be triggered if councillors identified evidence of common crime. In such a case, the Council shall appoint a sub-prosecutor general to examine the case and, if there are sufficient elements of authorship and materiality, to file a formal complaint with STF. The loss of the office of Attorney General of the Republic does not occur by administrative decision of the Council of the Public Prosecutor, which means that any definitive dismissal would depend on other legal procedures.

Context of investigations

The messages that motivated the analysis of the Council were obtained during investigations by the Federal Police on the activities of Banco Master. The cell phone of Daniel Vorcaro, a former banker of the institution, was seized and expertized, revealing conversations that mention names interpreted as being of Paulo Gonet and Andrei Rodrigues. The source did not detail the full content of the messages or the exact context in which they were sent.

Among the records, there are voice calls and reports of an event in London in April 2024. According to the messages, Gonet would have shown enthusiasm for the invitation to the event and requested the inclusion of his son in the trip. These reports suggest a close relationship between the attorney general and people connected to the bank, but there is no confirmation that the trip took place or that Gonet attended the event.

Other messages suggest that senior officials should intervene to prevent subordinate agents from making decisions against the bank. The interpretation of these conversations by the Federal Police was one of the elements that led the case to the Superior Council of the MPF. However, the source did not detail whether the messages were sent by Vorcaro or by third parties, nor whether there was any concrete action based on those suggestions.

What those involved say

To date, there is no public demonstration of Paulo Gonet on the case. The source did not detail whether the Attorney General was formally notified of the Council’s analysis or whether any prior defense was filed. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office also did not issue an official statement about Friday’s meeting.

Daniel Vorcaro, a former banker of Banco Master, did not publicly comment on the messages found on his mobile. The Federal Police did not disclose additional details about the investigations, and Director Andrei Rodrigues did not comment on the references made to his name in the conversations. The source did not specify whether the abovementioned persons were formally heard in the Council procedure.

The analysis of the Superior Council of the MPF is an internal administrative process, and its deliberations are not public. Any decision made on Friday can be communicated later by means of an official note, but the source has not detailed deadlines for disclosure. The Boca no Trombone portal will continue to follow the case and bring updates as new information is confirmed.

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