TCU Halts Central Bank Inspection in Banco Master Case, Sends Decision to Plenary

Overview

• The TCU relator, Jhonatan de Jesus, suspended the in‑person inspection of the Central Bank and referred the matter to the court’s plenary after accepting the Bank’s appeal.
• The planned inspection sought to reconstruct how the regulator decided to liquidate Banco Master, a move the Central Bank argued must be authorized by a collegiate body.
• TCU president Vital do Rêgo signaled that undoing the liquidation is not expected and said any reversal would fall to the Supreme Court, while indicating a decision could come after the Jan. 21 return from recess.
• The Federal Police are investigating alleged contracts to pay influencers to attack the Central Bank and defend Banco Master, with reports of high‑value offers, confidentiality clauses, and a surge of coordinated posts in late December.
• The MPTCU asked the TCU to seek PF information on the probes, as BC staff and associations warn of external pressure; Banco Master was liquidated in November during a PF investigation into suspected R$12–17 billion in fraudulent credit sales and controller Daniel Vorcaro remains under monitoring.