Members of the leadership of the PGR (Attorney General's Office) believe that the quotes from Paulo Gonet in the new messages on the cell phone of Daniel Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, expose the institution in a serious and unprecedented situation, but they believe that there is nothing to date capable of making it the target of investigation.
There is widespread discomfort with the episode, both among those who would prefer to see him removed from command of the case and among prosecutors who support him and see no problem with what has been disclosed so far. Both groups understand that, in any case, there could be collective damage to the category's reputation.
During the investigation, there are conversations in which lawyer Ciro Soares forwards messages attributed to Gonet to the former owner of Banco Master. In other excerpts, Vorcaro asks Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), to call the attorney general and the head of the Federal Police to stop an operation against the financial institution.
Furthermore, the attorney general's son reportedly asked the banker to go to an event he paid for in London, with expenses paid.
Contacted by Folha on Wednesday (2) and Thursday (3), the PGR did not comment.
In conversations with his team in recent days, Gonet denied having a close relationship with Vorcaro and said that Moraes never asked for interference in investigations into the Master. Members of the agency who work directly with the attorney general also state that Gonet knew lawyer Ciro Soares and treated him in a friendly manner because of his style.
Behind the scenes, members of the body began to talk about the possibility or need for the CSMPF (Superior Council of the Federal Public Ministry) to debate the topic. It is up to this body to evaluate the conduct of those occupying the highest positions in the Prosecutor's Office.
The CSMPF is responsible for career promotions, administrative processes and approves standards, performance criteria and the institution's budget proposal.
People close to him argue that the head of the Federal Public Ministry was involved in a crisis that was not his, with no evidence of misconduct.
A wing of the Prosecutor's Office, however, assesses that there are enough mentions in the PF report to raise doubts and, therefore, the best thing would be for Gonet to stay away from the process. The measure would be a sign of prudence to the class, in addition to preventing allegations of conflicts of interest that could contaminate the progress of the investigation.
According to the more concerned view, also present at other career levels, occupying a strategic position, such as PGR, requires even more care, especially in rumored cases.
Thus, even if the elements collected so far do not ultimately represent a real blemish, the recommendation would be to shorten the space for questioning, especially in the face of a complex and new situation, with the involvement of a STF minister, Alexandre de Moraes.
According to these interlocutors, the Supreme Court itself, however, has relaxed the application of the rules of suspicion and impediment over the last few years.
Any assessment of functional or disciplinary responsibility for senior positions is carried out through a Senate analysis of the crime of responsibility. The PGR is not subject to the Superior Council, just as STF ministers are not subject to the CNJ (National Council of Justice).
Today, the vice-president of the CSMPF is Nicolau Dino, brother of STF minister Flávio Dino. It would be up to him to call a collegiate session if he felt it necessary to discuss the topic with his peers.
According to the opposite assessment, Gonet would participate in the event in London funded by the then banker with hundreds of other people — in the same way as the whiskey tasting. None of this would denote intimacy and, therefore, there would be no compromise in the PGR's role in leading the case.
Following the same logic, events funded by businesspeople or private entities are frequently attended by public authorities and this would not generate implications for professional performance.
An interlocutor of the head of the Public Ministry states that he did not have Vorcaro's cell phone number registered on his own device and suspicions only exist in cases of close relationships with those involved in processes.
In addition to Gonet's son's request to Vorcaro, the PF report has messages in which Vorcaro asks an interlocutor that the PF suspects to be Moraes for "Andrei and Paulo" to act in his favor. The references would be to Andrei Rodrigues, general director of the Federal Police, and to Gonet.
