The STF's Second Panel ruled 4-0 to uphold the preventive detention of Banco Master owner Daniel Vorcaro on Friday (March 20). Justice Gilmar Mendes sided with rapporteur André Mendonça but criticized the reasoning as using 'porous and elastic' terms. The ruling comes amid Operation Compliance Zero probing financial frauds.
The STF's Second Panel, in a virtual plenary on Friday (March 20, 2026), reviewed the appeal against Daniel Vorcaro's preventive detention, ordered by rapporteur André Mendonça on March 4 in Operation Compliance Zero's third phase. Vorcaro, probed for financial crimes including undue payments to public agents and running a 'private militia' to monitor officials and journalists, had his arrest upheld 4-0. Justices André Mendonça (rapporteur), Luiz Fux, Kassio Nunes Marques, and Gilmar Mendes voted in favor; Dias Toffoli recused himself for intimate reasons. Senior Justice Mendes sided with the rapporteur but reserved criticism for the reasoning. He called concepts like 'need for social pacification' and 'swift Justice system response' 'porous and elastic,' urging 'critical scrutiny.' 'This is a bad habit that led not only to attacks on basic criminal procedure rules but also left indelible marks on our Justice system,' he stated, referencing Lava Jato abuses exposed by Vaza Jato. Mendonça based the arrest on the severity of Vorcaro's cellphone content, posing risks to physical integrity, popular economy, and national financial system, with Vorcaro in 'unquestionable command' of a criminal organization. Vorcaro was first arrested November 17, 2025, attempting to leave the country, released days later; rearrested after findings like plans to fake an assault on a journalist. With the majority forming, Vorcaro switched lawyers, signed a PF confidentiality pact, and was moved to the Brasília superintendency, starting plea bargain talks authorized by Mendonça. A journalist spotted fake news spreading a 2025 Mendonça-Moraes clash video on Google, falsely tied to the case.
