Brazil Senate Leader Jaques Wagner Seeks STF Cancellation of Police Raid Amid Master Bank Scandal

Senator Jaques Wagner (PT‑BA), leader of President Lula’s government in the Senate, became the main target of the Federal Police’s ninth phase of Operation Compliance Zero, which investigates the Banco Master fraud scheme. On 18 June the police executed search and seizure warrants at Wagner’s residences in Brasília and Salvador, confiscating cash (about US $49 000 and €33 500), tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, a luxury apartment in Salvador valued at roughly R$ 2.5 million, and records of jet usage linked to businessman Augusto Lima.

Wagner’s defense filed a petition with the Supreme Court (STF) on 22 June asking that the warrants be annulled, arguing that “serious errors” compromised the legality of the operation and that the senator never acted to benefit Banco Master. The defense points to Wagner’s sole amendment on the credit‑consigned MP, which sought to cap interest rates, and his public opposition to the so‑called “Emenda Master” that would have broadened FGC coverage.

Within the Lula administration and the PT, pressure mounted for Wagner to relinquish the Senate leadership to avoid further damage to the 2026 re‑election campaign. Discussions of a replacement, including former minister Tereza Leitão, have been reported. The scandal also implicates other politicians, notably Ciro Nogueira (PP‑PI) and Flávio Bolsonaro, whose alleged ties to the Master scheme deepen the political fallout.