São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) said on Saturday (19) that he hopes former city councilman Milton Leite (União Brasil) will answer for his actions and that his political ally will have the opportunity to defend himself. The former president of São Paulo's City Council was arrested on Friday (18) as part of an investigation into the infiltration of the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) criminal faction into São Paulo's public transportation system.
"All council members in the base are my allies, from all parties. We cannot hold ourselves responsible — and I don't want to make any premature accusations — because Milton will have every opportunity to prove his innocence, or the Public Prosecutor's Office will prove otherwise. The final decision will be up to the judge," said Nunes. The mayor took part on Saturday morning in the opening of the Virada Esportiva event at Pacaembu.
A city councilman since 1997, Milton Leite held broad influence over São Paulo's executive branch. In 2024, he competed to be named Nunes's running mate. The spot ultimately went to Colonel Mello Araújo, nominated by Jair Bolsonaro.
Alexandre Leite, Milton's eldest son, served as the city's Secretary of Institutional Relations until March of this year, when he left the post to run for federal deputy. Nunes attended the campaign launch.
"I attended the launch of his sons' campaigns for deputy, just as I attended the launches of dozens of candidates," said Nunes. The mayor also stated that he had not spoken with Milton Leite or his sons since the former councilman's arrest.
"It's been a few days since I last spoke with him," he said.
Operation Vectura Corrupta alleged that the faction controls 12 bus companies in Greater São Paulo in a money laundering scheme. One of the companies under investigation is Transwolff, which operates in the city's south zone. The company denies any wrongdoing.
The investigation classified the former City Council president as the "de facto owner" of Transwolff. According to investigators, the former councilman was directly responsible for its operations.
In a phone conversation with Folha on Thursday morning (17), Milton denied any connection to Transwolff or to the criminal faction.
"I vehemently deny it — I don't know anyone from the PCC in this life. My relationship with the sector was institutional, at the request of then-Mayor Bruno Covas, including during negotiations over a strike in 2019. There is no possibility that I am the owner [of Transwolff]. I never even owned a car," he said.
Transwolff's history is similar to that of other bus companies identified as part of the scheme.
