CNJ Cancels 14 Irregular Precatórios and Orders R$2.36 Billion Returned

Overview

• On Sept. 28 the CNJ corregedor Benedito Gonçalves issued a liminar that cancels 14 precatórios and directs about R$2.36 billion, with accrued interest, to be returned to the Treasury, a move that enlarges an earlier CNJ measure.
• The cancelled precatórios were issued before their cases reached trânsito em julgado, which the CNJ views as legally invalid, and the contested funds have been held in judicial accounts since December 2023.
• Investigators say Banco Master bought judicial credits at deep discounts, booked them at inflated values and used those claims as collateral to raise market funds, and reporting has flagged a reported contract of up to R$427 million involving the law firm tied to a TRF-1 judge’s spouse.
• The CNJ order freezes withdrawals, transfers, alvarás and attorneys’ fees on the blocked sums while the plenary reviews the liminar, and senior judges including Gilmar Mendes have asked the STF and STJ to broaden correições and open disciplinary and criminal probes.
• With the latest decision, recoveries linked to these cases now top R$7 billion, the CNJ is planning a national precatórios data panel, a public calculator and a cessões portal, and the next steps are plenary CNJ review and parallel criminal and administrative investigations that could reshape how courts and markets treat precatórios.