The fake news inquiry, an investigation opened by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to investigate attacks and threats against the Court, completed seven years in March and has once again generated controversy after minister Alexandre de Moraes requisitioned Federal Police reports that cited members of the Court itself. The measure has rekindled debates about a possible closure of the investigation, which has been the target of criticism for years.
The procedure was instituted in March 2019 without provocation from the Public Ministry by the then president of the STF, Dias Toffoli, with the objective of investigating attacks on the tribunal. Toffoli handed the rapporteurship of the case to Alexandre de Moraes, who began conducting the investigations.
Among the targets of the investigation over the years are former president Jair Bolsonaro, businessman Luciano Hang, and even the small party PCO. The timeline of the inquiry reveals the main moments and people reached by the investigations.
In April 2019, one of the first controversial decisions occurred when Moraes determined the removal from the air of a report by Crusoé and the website O Antagonista that mentioned Toffoli in a context involving the construction company Odebretch, under the justification of protecting the investigation.
