Impeachment bids against Supreme Court justices put Alcolumbre under pressure and fuel Ethics Council complaints

The publication by Estadão of messages exchanged between Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and banker Daniel Vorcaro has intensified pressure on Senate President Davi Alcolumbre to move forward with impeachment requests against members of Brazil’s highest court.

The messages, extracted by the Federal Police from the cellphone of Banco Master owner Vorcaro, reportedly showed the banker and Moraes discussing sensitive details of Operation Compliance Zero. The operation led to Vorcaro’s arrest on two occasions. Since the messages became public, three more requests for disciplinary proceedings against Alcolumbre have been filed with the Senate Ethics Council. Alcolumbre did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

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including rejecting them when there is no probable cause.

The council examines representations and complaints against senators. If proceedings advance, possible penalties include a warning, verbal or written censure, temporary loss of office, and removal from the Senate. But the body has been inactive for more than two years. Its last meeting took place on July 9, 2024. Even if it were operating, Alcolumbre has a majority capable of rejecting the petitions.

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The presidency cannot become a personal institution for replacing the constitutional authority of the chamber itself.

One complaint linked to the Supreme Court crisis came from Senator Carlos Viana of Minas Gerais, who chaired the Senate inquiry into the National Social Security Institute and is now seeking re-election. Viana asked for Alcolumbre’s temporary removal from the Senate presidency and called for an investigation into alleged actions and omissions while he simultaneously served as senator and led the chamber.

Viana cited the Senate’s constitutional authority to try Supreme Court justices for crimes of responsibility, as well as Alcolumbre’s failure to advance any impeachment request involving court members. The complaint says the goal is to preserve the Senate’s institutional right to examine the requests, “including rejecting them when there is no probable cause.” It adds: “The presidency cannot become a personal institution for replacing the constitutional authority of the chamber itself. The office’s prerogatives exist to make the Senate function, not to prevent it from functioning.”

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The office’s prerogatives exist to make the Senate function, not to prevent it from functioning.