Brazilian judges' international trips under scrutiny for transparency concerns

Senior figures within Brazil's judiciary, including the current and incoming National Justice Council (CNJ) inspectors, have been participating in international seminars. Ministers Mauro Campbell and Benedito Gonçalves, who hold these key positions, recently attended a seminar at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. This practice is not new, as both ministers had previously attended a forum in Lisbon in June, accompanied by the former inspector, Luís Felipe Salomão.

Further scrutiny has emerged regarding other trips taken by former inspectors, João Otávio de Noronha and Humberto Martins, to similar events. The Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) has faced requests for academic and social programming details concerning an event it organized in Rome in November 2025, which was attended by Salomão, Campbell, and Benedito. Additionally, in the year prior, eight STJ ministers, including Campbell, traveled to France and Germany. Their expenses, and those of family members, were covered by entities associated with notaries and private lawyers.

The CNJ's mandate includes the inspection of notaries and registrars. This oversight role creates a potential conflict of interest when judges attend events organized or sponsored by these same entities. While former inspector Salomão leads the editorial board of a publication that promotes events involving judges and authorities, and former inspector Rosa Weber sought to regulate such events, Salomão reportedly advocated against creating additional grounds for disqualification beyond existing legal provisions. The lack of transparency surrounding the funding and programming of these international gatherings has fueled concerns about the judiciary's ethical conduct and the perception of impropriety.