Mendonça’s Stand: Justice Must Not Bend to Power
By Hotspotnews
In a country long plagued by the selective application of the law, Minister André Mendonça of the Supreme Federal Court has taken a decisive step that every defender of republican institutions should applaud. By authorizing the Federal Police to open formal inquiries into Fábio Luís Lula da Silva—better known as Lulinha—for alleged influence peddling and related misconduct, Mendonça has sent a clear message: the presidency’s family is not above investigation.
The suspicions are serious. Investigators are examining whether the president’s son leveraged access to the Planalto and the Ministry of Health to facilitate business deals, including ventures tied to medicinal cannabis and contracts involving Dataprev. These matters emerged from broader probes into irregularities at the INSS and connections to figures such as the so-called “Careca do INSS.” When the police requested the inquiry, Mendonça, acting as rapporteur, green-lit the technical work that must now proceed without political interference.
This is precisely the kind of judicial independence conservatives have demanded for years. For too long, powerful families and political machines have treated the state as a private enterprise. Shielding relatives from scrutiny corrodes public trust and mocks the principle of equality before the law. Mendonça’s decision rejects that culture. It insists the investigation remain technical, evidence-based, and free from the protective instincts that too often emanate from the presidential palace.
Critics will inevitably cry “persecution.” They always do when accountability reaches the governing circle. Yet the proper response is not to close ranks or slow the process. It is to let the police and prosecutors do their jobs thoroughly and transparently. If the facts clear Lulinha, so be it. If they establish wrongdoing, the consequences must follow regardless of surname or party affiliation. Anything less is favoritism dressed up as solidarity.
Brazil does not need another round of selective justice in which opponents face the full weight of the state while allies enjoy quiet protection. What it needs is consistent application of the rules. Mendonça’s authorization is a reminder that the Supreme Court can still function as a check on executive power rather than an extension of it. The system may indeed feel discomfort at the prospect of uncomfortable truths emerging. That discomfort is healthy. It is the price of a republic that still aspires to treat citizens equally.
Conservatives should support this process not because it targets one political side, but because it upholds a principle larger than any administration: no one is untouchable. Let the investigation run its course. Demand competence from the Federal Police. Reject any attempt at delay or dilution. And insist that the same standard applied here be applied everywhere else. Only then does the rule of law mean something more than a slogan.