South America · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Brazil Supreme Court Investigates Flávio Bolsonaro Over Dark Horse Film Corruption Probe
Supreme Court opened July probe into Flávio Bolsonaro for corruption and money laundering. Documents allege irregular financing linked to Banco Master and foreign exchange evasion.
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8 of 9 outlets skipped it: al Jazeera highlights Supreme Court chaos involving text messages and de Moraes..
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Film financing probe
Brazil’s Supreme Court opened an investigation in July into Senator Flávio Bolsonaro over alleged corruption and money laundering tied to the financing of a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, according to a court document unsealed on Friday.
“is under a Supreme Court investigation for receiving 61 million reais ($12 million)”
ABC News reported the documents show Bolsonaro is under investigation for receiving 61 million reais ($12 million) from banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a movie titled “The Dark Horse,” with the first round of elections slated for Oct. 4.
The investigation centers on questions about payments connected to “Dark Horse,” and Anadolu Ajansı said the probe was opened in July 2025 by Supreme Court Justice Andre Mendonca.
Anadolu Ajansı also said police findings included in the court file allege Flávio Bolsonaro solicited donations from Vorcaro to fund “Dark Horse” and urged the banker to expedite payments to cover the film’s production team.
Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing
Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing while speaking to reporters following a campaign event in Manaus, telling Anadolu Ajansı, "I have nothing to hide; the film is totally legal," and adding the project relied strictly on "private sponsorship."
ABC News said Bolsonaro insisted Friday during a campaign event in Manaus that he was seeking private investment for a movie, as the unsealed documents were released late Thursday.
Anadolu Ajansı reported the investigation stems from text messages recovered from the mobile phone of financier Daniel Vorcaro, the controlling shareholder of Banco Master, who is currently imprisoned.
ABC News also described the broader Banco Master scandal, saying Vorcaro is accused of defrauding many of Banco Master’s 800,000 clients, including several state government pension funds, out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Election and court turmoil
The unsealed case is unfolding just weeks before voters go to the polls, with Anadolu Ajansı saying the court revelation comes just three weeks before Brazilians head to the polls on Oct. 4 and that polls indicate a likely second-round runoff on Oct. 25.
“just three weeks before Brazilians head to the polls on Oct. 4”
ABC News said the investigation threatens to undermine Bolsonaro’s bid for the presidency, describing a tight race in which he is locked with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Separately, Al Jazeera reported Brazil’s Supreme Court cancelled a second straight day of deliberations as suspicions of corruption, political bias and police interference loom over several of its members, with Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin calling for the court to reconvene on Tuesday instead.
Al Jazeera said the divisions emerged on September 1 when Justice Andre Mendonca unsealed federal police documents that appeared to show disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro seeking advice from another justice, Alexandre de Moraes, and that Tuesday’s session will involve the full Supreme Court bench to discuss whether de Moraes should be investigated over the text messages.