Investigation into Jaques Wagner brings the Master case closer to the Lula government, says international press

Jacques Wagner (PT) is suspected of receiving an apartment and bribes to favor Master
The new phase of investigations by Brazilian authorities into the Master case, which includes among the targets senator Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), leader of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government in the Senate, has had repercussions in the international press.
Addresses linked to the senator were searched on Thursday (18/06). Wagner is identified by the Federal Police as "the alleged central beneficiary of the economic advantages investigated, appearing as a public agent in favor of whom payments, benefits and asset acquisitions would have been structured".
The Federal Police are investigating whether the senator would have received payments and benefits in exchange for support for measures in Congress that would help Banco Master, such as the so-called "Master Amendment". There are suspicions surrounding the purchase of a luxury apartment in Salvador and a payment of R$3.5 million. He denies having committed irregularities.
The Federal Police seized around US$55,000 and another 33,500 euros in this Thursday's operation. A source following the investigations told BBC News Brasil in a confidential manner that the money was found at two addresses linked to Jaques Wagner. Wagner confirmed that the money seized by the PF in the operation was his, but denied any irregularities. The senator was not charged.
The website of Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network with great influence in the Arab world, said that the Master scandal "has reached both sides of the Brazilian political spectrum - and could even influence the country's next presidential race in October". Vorcaro, from Master, for the production of a biographical film about Jair Bolsonaro.
"Thursday's [Operation Compliance Zero] search warrants marked the latest in a series of operations aimed at revealing the extent of Vorcaro's financial crimes and how they may have fueled government corruption," says Al Jazeera.
Argentine newspaper Clarín highlighted the presence of a Lula ally in the new stage of the Police investigation Federal.
"The inclusion of the important senator in the Banco Master investigation brings this scandal closer to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election for a fourth non-consecutive term in October."
"The case began with the insolvency liquidation of Banco Master in November, which owed more than US$7 billion to around 800,000 investors (whose debts were settled by the guarantee fund)", says the Argentine newspaper.
"It soon turned into a investigation that highlighted suspicious links between its owner, banker Daniel Vorcaro, and figures from Brazilian public power across the political spectrum."
The newspaper says that, following the revelations about Flávio Bolsonaro's audio to Vorcaro, the PL senator "fell in the polls and is now several points behind Lula in voting intentions for the second round."
"Lula, who admitted having met with Vorcaro in 2024, promised that the case would be investigated 'until the latest consequences'", says Clarín.
The financial market news agency Bloomberg said that the investigation into Banco Master and Vorcaro "hit politicians across the political spectrum, shaking the Brazilian electoral campaign four months before the vote".
"After the release of reports involving Wagner, Lula's campaign instructed allies and cabinet members to publicly defend the senator, according to a person with knowledge of the matter", says Bloomberg. Efforts to pin blame for the Banco Master scandal on Bolsonaro and his allies had become more difficult, according to another person familiar with the matter."
The Reuters news agency highlighted that the corruption scandal "came close to Brazil's president on Thursday, with a Federal Police operation that targeted his main ally in Congress, intensifying the focus on political corruption in the run-up to the October elections."
"The alleged links with Wagner bring the Banco Master scandal into the president's inner circle for the first time. "His close ties with Lula go back decades, including positions in the president's cabinet. As governor of Bahia, he helped transform the northeastern state into a stronghold of support for the ruling Workers' Party."
According to Reuters, Thursday's news reinforced "the perception that the investigation into Banco Master will influence the 2026 presidential race."
"Last month, the scandal rocked the senator's campaign. Flávio Bolsonaro - identified by polls as the main rival in Lula's re-election bid - after the senator confirmed that he had obtained financing from Vorcaro for a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro."

Source: G1