Anti-democratic protest inquiry exposes rift between Supreme Court and head prosecutor

For the last 13 months, Brazil’s Supreme Court and Federal Police have been pursuing a confidential inquiry into anti-democratic demonstrations which took place in several cities in April of last year. Held on a day to commemorate the Brazilian Army, the protests involved a series of calls for military intervention and the closure of the Supreme Court and Congress. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took part in one such demonstration, gathering outside the Army barracks in capital Brasília.

Directly targeted by the protests, members of Brazil’s Supreme Court set about ascertaining how these acts were organized and funded, in an effort led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes — a long-time enemy of Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters.

Since launching the inquiry, the case has taken a number of twists and turns, not least when Brazil’s Federal Prosecution Service (MPF) issued a request to shelve the investigation last Friday. 

Despite containing swathes of circumstantial evidence throughout a huge report, the MPF claimed the Federal Police had deviated from the initial objective of the inquiry, saying the evidence lacked analysis and did not adhere to a series of due diligence...