Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a presidential candidate in Brazil, is facing a Supreme Court investigation into allegations that he received 61 million reais ($12 million) from a disgraced banker to fund a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The investigation was unsealed late Thursday.
The probe could impact Bolsonaro's presidential campaign, with the first round of elections scheduled for October 4. He is currently in a close race with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The allegations surfaced in May, and Senator Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, stating Friday during a campaign event that he was seeking private investment for a movie. The banker in question, Daniel Vorcaro, is the former CEO of Banco Master, which was shut down by Brazil's Central Bank in November. Vorcaro faces accusations of defrauding hundreds of millions of dollars from the bank's 800,000 clients, including state government pension funds, through questionable investments.
Supreme Court Justice André Mendonca initiated the investigation into Senator Bolsonaro in July, following a request from Brazil's federal police. Recent accusations from Lula's allies have suggested that Mendonca, appointed to the court by Jair Bolsonaro, may be shielding the senator from investigations. Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin requested the unsealing of the documents to address a political crisis within the court and promote transparency in the Banco Master probe.
Brazil's federal police estimate the total fraud linked to Banco Master, which had assets exceeding $16 billion, to be approximately 12 billion reais ($2.3 billion).