Senator Jaques Wagner denies wrongdoing as police seize cash and luxury items in Master Bank probe

Brazilian Federal Police carried out the ninth phase of Operation Compliance Zero, executing 18 search‑and‑seizure warrants in Brasília, Bahia and São Paulo. The raids targeted Senator Jaques Wagner, a key ally of President Luiz Inácio Lula, and recovered about US $55 000, €33 000 in cash, luxury watches and other assets linked to the investigation of the collapsed Banco Master.

Wagner publicly rejected any illicit benefit, stating the seized money came from legally declared travel allowances and that the luxury apartment in Salvador, valued at roughly R$ 2.5 million, was intended as a gift for his daughter, not as a bribe. He denied any financial relationship with Banco Master or its former owner Daniel Vorcaro, and said his contacts with businessman Augusto Lima were limited to a private property transaction.

President Lula expressed confidence in Wagner’s integrity, and the PT Senate caucus issued a statement of support. Opposition lawmakers, however, have called for the creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI) to investigate the Master case further. The operation was authorized by Supreme Court Minister André Mendonça, and no formal charges have been filed against Wagner at this stage.