Senator Bolsonaro says he met with disgraced Brazilian banker after arrest

May 19, 2026 3:45 PM EDT

Flavio Bolsonaro speaks with members of the press after a meeting, following a scandal over messages tied to his request for funding for a biopic about former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, from disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro, who was arrested in Ma

BRASILIA, May 19 (Reuters) - Brazilian ‌Senator Flavio ​Bolsonaro ​acknowledged on Tuesday that he met in person with banker Daniel Vorcaro after the owner of failed lender ‌Banco Master was arrested last year and released with an ⁠ankle monitor.

Bolsonaro has faced scrutiny since news website The Intercept Brasil last ‌week reported his ties to ‌the banker, who was jailed for a second time in March, accused of bribing a former central bank director. Master ​was liquidated in November amid investigations into fraudulent loan portfolios.

The right-wing senator with presidential ambitions has said his relationship with ⁠Vorcaro only involved an agreement to finance a film about his father, former President Jair ​Bolsonaro, calling it an investment with no favors in return.

On Tuesday, the senator told a press conference that ​the meeting in late 2025 was ‌intended to end negotiations with Vorcaro after the banker's alleged wrongdoings became public.

"I did go to meet ⁠him to put an end to the matter and to say that if he had told me the situation was as serious as ⁠it was, I would have looked for another investor much earlier," Flavio Bolsonaro ​told reporters.

Brazilian financial markets have reeled since the senator's ties with Vorcaro were revealed, as traders speculate it could tip the balance of a close ‌presidential race this year.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened an advantage of seven percentage ‌points over the senator in the first major poll conducted since ⁠Bolsonaro's ties to Vorcaro became ‌public. They had been ​virtually tied in previous polls.

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Brad Haynes and ‌Alistair Bell)



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