Brazilian Supreme Court Justice André Mendonca on Tuesday removed the head of the country's federal police and its intelligence chief from their posts, deepening a crisis at the top court and drawing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government into the turmoil ahead of October national elections.
Mendonca, an appointee of former President Jair Bolsonaro, stated in his ruling that federal police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues, a Lula nominee, and the intelligence director of the force, Leandro Almada, headed an organization that allegedly produced six illegal reports on the justice's activities through the end of August.
The federal police's executive director, William Marcel Murad, said in a statement that the director-general has the force's "full confidence" and that agents "will not be shaken by attacks."
Mendonca currently chairs two politically sensitive investigations: one into the collapse of Banco Master, which has ensnared several politicians, and another into alleged frauds in Brazil's pension system. The first has targeted opposition figures, while the latter has raised questions of wrongdoing by one of Lula's sons.
Brazil's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it will appeal Mendonca's decision.
The Supreme Court justice's action comes amid a significant clash with fellow justice Alexandre de Moraes, who sentenced Bolsonaro to prison last year. Last week, Mendonca unsealed federal police documents showing that Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro frequently sought de Moraes' legal advice before his arrest.
De Moraes had previously denied wrongdoing involving Vorcaro, though his wife provided legal services to Banco Master as part of a 130 million reais ($25 million) contract. Since Mendonca's decision to unseal documents, de Moraes has faced pressure from politicians, the media, and legal experts to resign. He has not publicly commented on the case.
Brazilian media reported last week that Mendonca was seeking a suspension for de Moraes from the court until it decides whether he should be investigated in a potential graft case. De Moraes, in turn, issued a ruling stating Mendonca should be investigated by the court and potentially impeached by the Senate for interviewing Vorcaro in August without the presence of federal police agents or prosecutors.
On Monday, tens of thousands of supporters of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president, filled a major artery in Sao Paulo. Many demonstrators called for de Moraes' removal, holding a large inflatable figure of Mendonca and wearing shirts in his support. Lula is bidding for reelection in October against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup.