Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Sunday ordered that secrecy placed over police documents probing allegations of the misuse of public funds by far-right presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro be lifted.
Minister Flávio Dino of the STF, or Supreme Federal Court, issued the order in connection with the case surrounding Bolsonaro's involvement in the financing of a biographical film about his father, imprisoned former president Jair Bolosonaro, CNN Brasil and the BBC reported.
Documents generated by the Civil Police of São Paulo were sent to the STF by the State Court of Guarantees of Criminal Organizations and Money Laundering earlier on Sunday, after which Dino ruled that all the raw material taken from the cell phones of the suspects be handed over to the Federal Police and made public to avoid the risk of "selective leaks."
He also ruled that the case be merged with a second probe examining the financing of biopic, called Dark Horse, in which authorities are looking into actions taken by former banker Daniel Vorcaro and Bolsonaro, the presidential nominee for the Liberal Party.
The STF first opened a probe into the candidate in July but it only became public on Friday, just weeks before the presidential election in which he is emerging as the main challenger to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In his ruling, Dino stated that the evidence points to the existence of a "sophisticated scheme" to divert public funds to finance the film and points to a possible link with the First Capital Command, or PCC, Brazil's largest and most powerful transnational criminal organization.
Also mentioned is Mário Frias, a Liberal Party federal deputy and executive producer of the film, who, according to investigators, may have had a leadership role in the alleged scheme.
Frias has denied the accusations and denounced the probe as a "smokescreen," claiming the funds had a legitimate social purpose.
Brazilian media reported the documents show Bolsonaro allegedly negotiated the transfer of $24 million to finance the production. The funds were allegedly deposited into U.S. accounts belonging to people close to the Bolsonaro family, prompting investigators to examine the ultimate destination of the transfers.
The investigation could have the potential to affect the tight race for president. Polls give Lula a lead of between 3 and 6 percentage points over Bolsonaro ahead of the first round to be held on Oct. 4.
However, in a likely subsequent runoff the surveys indicate a statistical dead heat between the two.