Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) has ordered the Federal Police to investigate indications of possible foreign interference in the country’s 2026 election, opening a judicially supervised inquiry that will examine potential cross-border financing, online campaigning and possible links to economic interests in strategic minerals.
Justice Flávio Dino issued the order on October 27, 2026, in proceedings connected to ADPF 1178. The case was originally brought by the Brazilian Mining Institute, and later received submissions concerning electoral interference from the Workers’ Party as well as allegations presented by candidate Renan Santos and the Missão party.
The STF stressed an important legal distinction: the material before the court was sufficient to justify investigation, but does not in itself prove that a crime occurred or that illicit foreign interference took place.
What the Federal Police will examine
The police inquiry is intended to establish whether foreign resources, or economically measurable benefits from abroad, were connected to election activity in Brazil. Investigators were directed to examine the possible origin, circulation and final destination of such resources or benefits.
The scope also includes paid election-related content attributed to accounts located abroad. Investigators are to examine who was responsible for that content, how it was funded and whether Brazilian participants were involved.
A further line of inquiry concerns alleged dealings involving Rockbridge Network and Brazilian executives Tallis Gomes and Pedro Sang. The STF-directed investigation will assess whether there was any connection between political support and foreign interests in Brazilian rare earths and other critical minerals.
This does not mean the court has found such a connection. Rather, it identifies a potential intersection between election-related activity and sectors that can draw international commercial interest, and directs police to determine whether the reported facts have evidentiary support.
Platform conduct is part of the inquiry
The order also covers possible deliberate asymmetries or algorithmic manipulation by internet companies that could have been intended to favor or harm candidates. That part of the inquiry addresses the role platforms may play in the distribution of political content, beyond the question of whether money or paid advertising crossed borders.
Meta denied favoring or interfering on behalf of any candidate. The available reports do not establish that algorithmic manipulation occurred, and this remains one of the subjects for investigators to assess.
Why Supreme Court supervision matters
Although the order arose in connection with ADPF 1178, Dino required that the investigative work proceed in separate proceedings under STF supervision. The court said this arrangement is necessary because members of Congress may be implicated.
The institutional consequence is that the Federal Police will conduct its inquiries within a process overseen by Brazil’s highest court, rather than treating the allegations as a single extension of the original constitutional case. The separate proceedings are designed to handle the investigative phase while preserving Supreme Court oversight where potentially implicated officials fall within the court’s jurisdiction.
The consulted material does not provide an inquiry number or a timetable for the investigation.
Responses and the procedural stage
The matter remains at the investigation stage. No conclusion of criminal responsibility, unlawful financing or improper platform conduct has been established by the STF order.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign told Folha it would not comment on Dino’s decision. The newspaper also reported that the campaign had previously denied receiving foreign money or infrastructure. UOL reported that Tallis Gomes denied raising, donating, receiving, offering or intermediating political resources.
No substantive response from Rockbridge Network or Pedro Sang was located in the consulted reports.
What happens next
The Federal Police is now expected to examine the alleged resource flows, paid content, possible Brazilian participation, the reported commercial links involving critical minerals and the conduct of internet companies described in the order. Any finding that supports or contradicts the allegations would emerge only from those separate investigations under STF supervision.
For now, the court’s action is a decision to investigate a set of reported risks to electoral integrity, not a judicial finding that foreign actors, companies, campaigns or individuals interfered in Brazil’s election.