STF Minister Orders Federal Police Chief Removed; Directors Protest
André Mendonça suspends PF director-general Andrei Rodrigues and intelligence chief Leandro Almada over alleged illegal monitoring, prompting 11 of 15 directors to back them.
KEY POINTS
- STF Minister André Mendonça removed PF Director-General Andrei Rodrigues and Intelligence Director Leandro Almada on Sept 8
- Removal based on alleged illegal monitoring of Mendonça and AGU Jorge Messias for over a month
- Eleven of fifteen PF directors signed note supporting the removed leaders
- Directors placed their positions at the disposal of substitute William Marcel Murad
- Decision referred to STF Second Panel amid crisis between Ministers Mendonça and Moraes
Supreme Court Minister André Mendonça ordered the preventive removal of Federal Police Director-General Andrei Rodrigues and Intelligence Director Leandro Almada on September 8. The decision cites alleged systematic illegal monitoring of Mendonça and Attorney General Jorge Messias for over a month.
Mendonça argued the suspension was necessary to prevent misuse of official prerogatives that could compromise evidence gathering and investigations. The move escalates a crisis between Mendonça and fellow Minister Alexandre de Moraes, who previously used anonymous PF reports to accuse Mendonça of crimes in the Banco Master and INSS corruption cases.
“repudiar toda e qualquer tentativa de imputar a eles ou à Polícia Federal uma atuação não republicana”
Hours later, eleven of the PF's fifteen directors issued a public note declaring "total support" for Rodrigues and Almada. The signatories placed their own positions at the disposal of substitute Director-General William Marcel Murad.
The directors called the accusations "devoid of foundation" and said they affront the institution's history and credibility. They rejected any attempt to portray their actions as non-republican and blamed politically motivated narratives.
The removal decision has been referred to the STF's Second Panel for review. The institutional standoff underscores deepening tensions within Brazil's top court and federal police leadership.
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