An investigation by the Federal Police revealed that the mayor of Maricá, Washington Quaquá (PT), acted to prevent resources from the municipality's Sovereign Fund from being invested in Banco Master, a financial institution that is currently at the center of investigations conducted by federal authorities.
The information was published in the column of journalist Tácio Lorran, from Metropolis, based on messages found by the Federal Police on the cell phone of banker Daniel Vorcaro, controller of Banco Master.
According to the investigation, Vorcaro sought to open up business opportunities in Maricá throughout 2024 through the financial operator Ricardo Siqueira Rodrigues. The objective would be to enable investments involving municipal public funds, including assets from the Maricá Sovereign Fund, considered one of the largest municipal funds in the country.
Negotiations stalled.
The messages analyzed by the Federal Police show that Daniel Vorcaro was closely monitoring the progress of the negotiations and expressed concern about the possibility of the deal not going through.
In a recorded conversation from July 30, 2024, the banker questioned Ricardo Siqueira Rodrigues about the status of the negotiation.
"Did the one from Maricá break down?", Vorcaro asked, according to records obtained by investigators.
In its response, the financial operator acknowledged difficulties in completing the transaction and attributed some of the resistance to the impact of negative news involving the bank.
"It was stressful, but I'm working on overcoming it. The news reports were alarming, but it can be fixed. I'll send updates this week. Best regards," he replied.
The incident occurred at the very end of Fabiano Horta's administration, at the time a political ally of Quaquá, who stepped in to block the deal. The current mayor even spoke about the matter publicly, as shown in the video below.
MASTER BANK 🏦 | Messages obtained by the Federal Police show an attempt by Master Bank to access public funds in Maricá and the reaction of the city hall. pic.twitter.com/7ewJ05Dc41
— Agenda of Power (@agendadopoder) May 29, 2026
Federal Police suspect attempted wiretapping.
According to the investigation, the transaction was part of an attempt to attract investments involving public funds. Despite the intermediaries' efforts, the operation failed after the Maricá City Hall prevented any transactions related to the Sovereign Fund.
Behind the scenes in the financial market, the decision was interpreted as a precautionary measure in light of the warnings that were already circulating about the situation at Banco Master.
Strategic fund
The Maricá Sovereign Fund gathers resources considered strategic for the development of the municipality and is used as a long-term investment instrument. Due to its financial volume and relevance to the city's public accounts, any movement involving the fund is usually closely monitored by oversight bodies and the market.
The release of the messages broadens the scope of investigations involving Banco Master and its financial operators, and reinforces the debate about the security of public funds and the oversight mechanisms adopted by states and municipalities.
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