🧨 It’s starting to hit the fan

Since taking charge of the investigation into Banco Master — the mid-sized lender liquidated last year due to widespread fraud — Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli has faced mounting criticism. (Get up to speed on the Banco Master case, with our explainer.)

His stewardship of the case has been marked, critics say, by repeated attempts to restrict its investigative scope. He has sought to place the proceedings under strict secrecy, clashed with the Federal Police over a series of rulings, limited the time allotted for depositions and, in an unorthodox move, tried to withhold evidence from police forensic experts (before relenting).

Now the doubts about Toffoli are no longer confined to journalists or political opponents. They come from within the Federal Police itself. Investigators have reportedly asked that Justice Toffoli be removed from the case, citing…

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