Romeu Zema, the former governor of Minas Gerais and a likely presidential candidate from the New Party (Novo), sharply escalated his attacks on Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) in an interview with Metrópoles. He accused Justices Alexandre de Moraes and Dias Toffoli of improper ties to Banco Master and said both should face impeachment, investigation and, if wrongdoing is proven, prison.
The remarks came as the STF also moved to hire a specialist firm to monitor its image on social media. According to a public bidding document cited by Metrópoles, the court wants daily and monthly reports measuring whether mentions of the court are positive, neutral or negative, and identifying major online opinion-makers discussing the STF.
Zema's Allegations
Zema described the court as a "business counter" rather than a constitutional court and said the current political crisis in Brazil was being driven from داخل the STF itself. He tied that argument to previous Metrópoles reporting on Banco Master, whose controller, Daniel Vorcaro, has appeared in the outlet's coverage of business links involving people close to members of the court.
"Who used to be the firefighter has now become the arsonist," Zema told Metrópoles, arguing that the court is now "putting the republic and Brazil's institutions at risk."
He also said that, if elected, he would push for structural changes to the court, including a minimum age of 60 for justices, a maximum tenure of 15 years and an end to broad single-justice rulings on matters affecting Congress. Zema argued that presidents have appointed politically connected or insufficiently seasoned justices, citing Lula's nominations of Cristiano Zanin, Dias Toffoli and Flávio Dino.
Inquiry and Monitoring
The confrontation has a direct political backdrop. In recent days, Justice Gilmar Mendes asked for Zema to be included in the so-called "fake news inquiry," a controversial STF-led investigation originally created to examine threats against justices. The request followed satirical videos posted by Novo that portrayed justices as puppets and mocked decisions involving Toffoli.
In that context, the court's social media monitoring tender is likely to draw scrutiny. Metrópoles reported that the contract has a ceiling of R$ 249,000, roughly USD 45,000 at recent rates. The winning company would produce alerts on posts with potential reputational impact and map the stance and reach of prominent voices discussing the STF online.
The court's stated goal, according to the procurement document, is to track its "digital presence." Critics, however, are likely to see the move as politically sensitive because it comes amid accusations that the court is expanding its role beyond judging cases and into policing public debate.
Why It Matters
Together, the two developments sharpen one of the central institutional disputes in Brazil today: whether the STF is acting as a necessary stabilizing force in a polarized democracy, or accumulating political and informational power in ways that blur the line between judging, governing and monitoring dissent.
That debate is especially charged because the allegations cited here remain disputed and the reporting is based on two articles from the same outlet, Metrópoles. Even so, the combination of corruption allegations, an active inquiry into online speech and a new effort to map critics on social media is likely to keep pressure on the court as Brazil moves closer to the next presidential race.
Fonts: https://www.metropoles.com/colunas/andreza-matais/zema-ministros-do-stf-se-associaram-ao-maior-criminoso-do-brasil https://www.metropoles.com/colunas/andreza-matais/stf-contrata-monitoramento-para-saber-quem-sao-seus-criticos-nas-redes
accessed on 25 April 2026