Federal Police Launch Operation Gemini Targeting Mato Grosso Judge and State Deputy Over Alleged Sale of Rulings

Overview

• The Federal Police carried out Operation Gemini on June 8, executing search warrants and obtaining court authorizations to break banking, fiscal and telematic sigilos in investigations of an alleged scheme to sell court decisions in the Tribunal de Justiça de Mato Grosso.
• Investigators targeted suspended desembargador Dirceu dos Santos, state deputy Faissal Calil and lawyer Bruno Oliveira Castro while the police said the probe may involve crimes such as passive corruption, administrative advocacy and money laundering.
• The Conselho Nacional de Justiça had already suspended Dirceu in March after finding large unexplained financial movements of about R$14.6 million over five years versus roughly R$1.9 million in official income.
• Calil and Castro have denied wrongdoing with Calil surrendering his phone and access credentials to investigators and Castro saying he never solicited or intermediated illicit acts, while authorities have not publicly assigned specific operational roles to each target.
• The case is being processed at the Superior Tribunal de Justiça and continues to evolve as PF and administrative oversight bodies collect and analyse evidence, a development that could widen probes into other magistrates and create political and institutional fallout in Mato Grosso.