Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF, Brazil's Supreme Court), ruled on Friday (23) that up to R$ 6 billion in assets belonging to lawyer Willer Tomaz should be frozen, that his passports be suspended, and that the economic, financial and business activities of every company linked to him be halted. The ruling granted a request by the Polícia Federal (Federal Police), filed after the force found that the lawyer had travelled to Miami, in the United States, having been the target of a search-and-seizure operation in August.
The order comes two days before the presidential runoff, set for this Sunday (25), and reaches a lawyer the Federal Police describe as close to candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, of the Partido Liberal (PL).
What the ruling covers
The freeze applies to movable and immovable property, aircraft and boats. Moraes also lifted the lawyer's banking, tax and foreign-exchange secrecy, giving financial institutions 24 hours to hand over the data, according to the Brazilian news portal Terra.
Banks must identify everyone authorised to move money through the accounts — "including former and current co-holders", the ruling says. The Conselho de Controle de Atividades Financeiras (Coaf, Brazil's financial intelligence unit), the Banco Central (Central Bank) and the Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM, the securities regulator) are to be notified so they can enforce the restrictions.
Up to R$ 6 billion is the ceiling of the freeze, not an estimate of assets already located: the figure sets how much can be locked as property, accounts and companies are identified.
Where the investigation comes from
August's search was part of Operação Sem Desconto, an investigation into improper deductions from the benefits of retirees and pensioners paid by the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS, Brazil's social security institute). On a second front, the Federal Police are examining the suspicion that betting companies were used to launder illicit money.
It was the trip to the United States that prompted the request. For the police, leaving the country after the operation raises the risk that evidence will be destroyed — above all funds and companies held abroad.
The holding company on Madeira
At the centre of the case is Alcazar Holdings, based on the island of Madeira, in Portugal. Banks will also have to hand over that company's records.
According to the Federal Police, as cited by Terra, the betting house Best Bet has Flávio Bolsonaro as a hidden partner through Alcazar, and the candidate had access to one of the holding's accounts as a "master user" until mid-2025. The case was first revealed by the magazine piauí, the same portal reports.
Flávio Bolsonaro and Willer Tomaz deny the partnership. The candidate acknowledges his friendship with the lawyer but says he has no business dealings with him.
What the defence says
Tomaz's lawyers called the ruling "disproportionate" and "electioneering", and deny that he played any part in the INSS fraud. Agência Brasil said it had approached his representatives and left space for a response.
As this article was published, the STF had not released the inquiry number or any appeal deadlines, and the full text of the ruling was not public.
With information from Agência Brasil, Migalhas and the Terra portal.
