Presidency Ethics Committee allows Lewandowski to return to law without quarantine

The Public Ethics Commission (CEP) of the Presidency of the Republic decided this Monday that the former Minister of Justice and Public Security Ricardo Lewandowski can return to practicing law without the need to comply with quarantine, but decided to prohibit the minister from acting for six months in bodies linked to the department.

Lewandowski resigned on January 8 of this year after almost two years at the head of the Ministry of Justice. Before occupying the position of minister and after leaving the Federal Supreme Court (STF), in April 2023, Lewandowski practiced law, but suspended his registration with the Brazilian Bar Association to assume the portfolio in the Lula government in February 2024.

The Public Ethics Commission’s deliberation took place after consultation with the former Minister of Justice himself. The process was reported by counselor Vera Karam de Chueiri, professor of Constitutional Law at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). The rapporteur concluded that there was no conflict and, therefore, the release without quarantine, the name given to the period of up to six months of interdiction in which the authority is unable to carry out activities incompatible with the position previously held, receiving.

If he were subjected to quarantine, Lewandowski would not be able to practice law, but he would receive compensatory remuneration equivalent to the salary he received as a minister.

In its deliberation, the CEP says that the former minister must abstain for six months from his dismissal, “from intervening, directly or indirectly, in favor of private interests before the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, its bodies, linked entities and any administrative bodies that are part of it”.

Among the vetoed bodies are the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police, the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) and the National Data Protection Agency (ANPD).

The decision also determines that Lewandowski must refrain from acting in administrative, judicial or consultative processes “whose merit involves matters, strategic information, public policies, programs or institutional guidelines whose formulation, coordination, supervision or qualified and privileged knowledge occurred during his functional exercise”. It also includes the acts of sponsoring, defending, representing, advising, intermediating or maintaining any type of dialogue, in favor of private interests, in matters within the competence of the Ministry of Justice.

It is also prohibited, also for six months, to work with the department’s secretariats, such as the National Secretariat of Justice (Senajus), the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon), the National Secretariat for Drug Policies and Asset Management (Senad), among others, in addition to the collegiate bodies linked to the Ministry.

In a statement, the former minister confirmed the decision. “In accordance with current legislation, the CEP authorized Lewandowski to act as a lawyer, except for the hypotheses listed in Article 6 of Law 12,813, of 2013. Therefore, for a period of six months, the following prohibitions are established, according to the decision: ‘a) intervene, directly or indirectly, in favor of private interests before the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, its bodies and linked entities; b) act in processes administrative, judicial or consultancy whose merit involves matters, strategic information or public policies of qualified and privileged knowledge acquired in the exercise of the position; acts or investigations conducted by them, when related to information or policies of privileged knowledge.’”

Consulting for the Master

Before Lewandowski became Minister of Justice, his law firm was appointed by the leader of the Lula government in the Senate, Jaques Wagner (PT-BA), to provide legal consultancy to Banco Master, which was liquidated in November 2025 by the Central Bank, in the midst of a serious liquidity crisis.

In an ongoing investigation at the STF, the Federal Police (PF) is investigating suspected fraud in credit portfolios and other operations in investment funds. Master’s owner, Daniel Vorcaro, has denied wrongdoing.

Before becoming minister, in 2023, Lewandowski was also part of the Master’s strategic advisory committee.

In 2024, Master disbursed R$580 million in expenses with “specialized technical services”, 75% more than in 2023, as shown by the newspaper Valor Econômico. Much of the increase was due to legal consultancy services. Among the law firms hired, there is also Barci de Moraes, where the wife of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court, works.