PF messages show lawyer Warde brokered banker Vorcaro's access to Lula

Federal Police messages from banker Daniel Vorcaro's phone show his then-lawyer Walfrido Warde orchestrating a channel to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva starting in April 2024. Warde coordinated with Marco Aurélio Santana Ribeiro, known as Marcola, then chief of staff at the Presidential Palace, to secure a meeting for Vorcaro.

In an audio message, Warde told Vorcaro that Marcola had requested an email outlining the bank's interests so a formal meeting request could be submitted. Warde said he would send the email from his own address as Vorcaro's attorney. Palace access logs confirm Warde entered the Planalto at 16:30 on a day in May 2024; he messaged Vorcaro an hour later: "Left the president's office. He asked about your email. You're crazy."

“I was with President Lula at length yesterday. You'll like it. Let's meet today. No fail.”

By September 2024, Warde messaged Vorcaro: "I was with President Lula at length yesterday. You'll like it. Let's meet today. No fail." Vorcaro replied "Let's go." The chats also reference conversations from January 2025 in which Warde claimed Lula thanked him for "the whisky" and sent a hug to the banker.

The Presidential Palace previously acknowledged a December 2024 meeting between Lula and Vorcaro but denied the president received any gift from the banker. Vorcaro, owner of Banco Master, was seeking government contact while the bank faced regulatory scrutiny and market difficulties.