Celina Leão faces scrutiny over Banco Master and BRB acquisition dispute

Messages recovered by the Federal Police during Operation Compliance Zero reveal that Daniel Vorcaro, founder of Banco Master, discussed ways to ‘attack’ Celina Leão following her criticisms of the Master-BRB operation. In a conversation with businessman Thiago Miranda, Vorcaro expressed a need to counter the ‘discrediting’ of himself and Banco Master after the Governor of the Distrito Federal stated she had not been consulted regarding the attempted acquisition of Master by Banco de Brasília (BRB).

Celina Leão has denied any direct contact with Vorcaro, stating that the messages create a false narrative. She maintains she was opposed to the transaction before it became public. The attempted acquisition was ultimately blocked by the Central Bank in 2025.

In a separate interview, Governor Leão addressed various administrative challenges, including healthcare queues and education. Regarding the financial sector, she reiterated her opposition to the BRB and Banco Master deal but dismissed concerns regarding the potential insolvency of BRB.