He went to visit later to see if he could get the rest of the money
Em meio às investigações federais sobre o Banco Master, o senador Flávio Bolsonaro se viu obrigado a explicar publicamente por que visitou o banqueiro Daniel Vorcaro enquanto este estava sob investigação — uma visita que, segundo ele e o presidente do PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, tinha propósito simples: garantir o financiamento de um filme biográfico sobre seu pai. O episódio revela como os limites entre captação de recursos, lealdade partidária e prudência política raramente são nítidos quando o poder está em jogo. Para o PL, a distinção entre investigado e condenado é suficiente para manter Flávio como candidato presidencial — uma aposta que o tempo e as investigações ainda vão testar.
- Mensagens vazadas pelo Intercept Brasil expuseram negociações de R$ 134 milhões entre Flávio Bolsonaro e o banqueiro Vorcaro para financiar o filme 'Dark Horse', forçando o senador a admitir um encontro que havia mantido em silêncio.
- A visita de Flávio a Vorcaro ocorreu após a primeira prisão do banqueiro, transformando uma reunião de cobrança em um passivo político de difícil administração.
- Valdemar Costa Neto recorreu a uma distinção jurídica precisa — investigado não é condenado — para normalizar o encontro e blindar a candidatura presidencial de Flávio.
- Apesar da pressão, o PL descarta qualquer substituição de Flávio por Michelle Bolsonaro ou outro nome, sinalizando que a crise ainda não abalou a estrutura interna do partido.
- As investigações da Operação Compliance Zero continuam, e os detalhes do arranjo de financiamento do filme permanecem sob escrutínio federal, mantendo a controvérsia em aberto.
Na segunda-feira, o presidente nacional do PL, Valdemar Costa Neto, foi a público defender o senador Flávio Bolsonaro após a revelação de que ele visitou o banqueiro Daniel Vorcaro — dono do Banco Master, alvo de investigação federal — para cobrar o restante de um financiamento prometido para o filme biográfico 'Dark Horse', sobre o ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro. Para Valdemar, a visita era rotineira: Vorcaro havia se comprometido com cerca de R$ 134 milhões para a produção, e Flávio foi verificar se os pagamentos, interrompidos em maio de 2025, seriam retomados.
O episódio ganhou contornos políticos delicados depois que o Intercept Brasil divulgou mensagens privadas entre os dois, expondo as negociações e obrigando Flávio a confirmar publicamente um encontro que havia preferido não mencionar. O senador explicou que, diante da paralisação dos repasses e da ansiedade da equipe do filme, decidiu pressionar Vorcaro por uma resposta — e que, no dia seguinte à conversa, o banqueiro foi preso. 'Entendemos naquele momento que a situação era mais grave', disse Flávio.
A defesa de Valdemar apoiou-se em uma distinção jurídica: Vorcaro estava sendo investigado, mas não havia sido condenado, o que, na visão do dirigente partidário, tornava o contato perfeitamente aceitável. Ainda assim, a controvérsia chegou em momento sensível para a candidatura presidencial de Flávio. O PL, no entanto, mantém sua posição: não há discussão sobre substituí-lo por Michelle Bolsonaro ou qualquer outro nome. O partido segue firme ao lado do senador enquanto as investigações avançam e o financiamento do filme permanece sob análise federal.
On Monday, the head of Brazil's Liberal Party offered a straightforward explanation for why Senator Flávio Bolsonaro visited a banker who was under federal investigation: he was chasing down money.
Valdemar Costa Neto, the party's national president, told Globo News that Flávio's visit to Daniel Vorcaro, owner of the now-defunct Banco Master, was simply about collecting the remainder of funds the banker had promised to finance a film called "Dark Horse"—a biographical project about former president Jair Bolsonaro. "Vorcaro had no problem when Flávio asked for money," Valdemar said. "He went to visit later to see if he could get the rest of the money."
The visit had become a political liability after the Intercept Brasil news outlet leaked private messages between Flávio and Vorcaro showing negotiations over approximately 134 million reais for the film's production. Flávio, who is positioning himself as the Liberal Party's presidential candidate, had initially kept the meeting quiet. When the messages surfaced in mid-May, he was forced to acknowledge that he had visited Vorcaro in 2025, after the banker's first arrest as part of Operation Compliance Zero, a federal investigation into irregularities at Banco Master.
Flávio's own account of the encounter painted it as a collection call. He said that after Vorcaro stopped making payments in May 2025, the people involved in the film project grew anxious. By late 2025, Flávio claimed, he reached out to press Vorcaro for clarity on whether the financing would continue, warning that the entire project was at risk of collapse. The day after that conversation, Vorcaro was arrested. "We understood at that moment that the situation was more serious," Flávio said at a party meeting.
Valdemar's defense hinged on a narrow legal distinction: Vorcaro was under investigation, yes, but he had not been convicted of anything. Therefore, the senator visiting him to discuss outstanding financial commitments was entirely routine. "He could have gone there to ask, 'Are you going to stop paying me? Do you have the means to pay me?' Because we assume he has money. And he wasn't convicted," Valdemar said. The implication was clear—without a conviction, there was nothing improper about the meeting.
Yet the controversy has cast a shadow over Flávio's candidacy at a crucial moment. Despite the fallout from the leaked messages and Vorcaro's arrest, Valdemar insisted that the party remains committed to Flávio as its presidential nominee. There is no discussion, he said, of replacing him with Michelle Bolsonaro, the former first lady, or any other candidate. The party is standing by its man, even as federal investigators continue their work and the details of the film financing arrangement remain under scrutiny.
Notable Quotes
Vorcaro had no problem when Flávio asked for money. He went to visit later to see if he could get the rest of the money.— Valdemar Costa Neto, PL national president, to Globo News
We understood at that moment that the situation was more serious.— Flávio Bolsonaro, explaining his reaction after Vorcaro's arrest
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Flávio need to visit Vorcaro in person if they'd already negotiated the deal?
Because the money had stopped coming. After May 2025, Vorcaro went quiet. The people making the film were getting nervous. Flávio needed to know if the banker was still good for the rest of it.
But Vorcaro was already under investigation at that point. Didn't that make the visit risky?
That's the party's argument—he wasn't convicted yet, so technically there was nothing illegal about it. But it does look bad when those messages leak and people see a senator chasing down a banker who's being investigated.
What does this do to Flávio's chances of winning the presidency?
That's the real question. The party is saying he stays the candidate no matter what. But these kinds of entanglements—money, investigations, leaked private conversations—they wear on a campaign. They give opponents ammunition.
Is there any chance the party replaces him?
Valdemar says no. But in politics, "no" today can become "yes" tomorrow if the legal pressure gets worse or if the party decides the damage is too great.
What happens to the film?
That's unclear. If Vorcaro can't pay and the project collapses, it becomes a footnote. If it somehow gets finished, it becomes a symbol of something people would rather forget.