Former São Paulo city councilman Milton Leite said on Friday evening (18) that he had committed no crime and has nothing to answer for. The statement came as the politician was leaving the police station where he turned himself in to authorities in Mogi das Cruzes, in Greater São Paulo, to undergo a forensic medical examination. He will be held at the city's public jail.
At around 7 p.m., he walked toward the exit accompanied by officers and declared himself "innocent of all charges." "I will have the opportunity to prove everything. I turned myself in as promised." When asked if he had any regrets, he replied: "Only those who commit crimes have regrets."
The União Brasil politician turned himself in at around 4 p.m. at the headquarters of the Dise (Drug Investigation Unit), where the inquiry was conducted. He was accompanied by his attorney, Aloísio Lacerda Medeiros, who said he had asked the court for full access to the case file. "Milton is calm. He has nothing to do with this story," the lawyer said.
A temporary arrest warrant, valid for 30 days, had been issued against Leite. His attorney stated that he would not appeal the measure for the time being.
"The defense is continuing to familiarize itself with the case — we are absolutely calm. We will follow the normal procedure," said Medeiros.
When asked whether Leite had been outside the country, his attorney said only that he had been outside São Paulo and that he was unaware of the address where police conducted searches on Friday in Sorocaba, in the interior of the state, and seized R$740,000.
When questioned about the suspicions presented by police and prosecutors, the defense reiterated its lack of access to the content of the case. "I have had access to nothing. We need access to the full body of evidence, without any rush," Medeiros added.
Leite had been considered a fugitive since Thursday (17), when officers failed to find him at his home address. He had said he would turn himself in within 24 hours and denied the allegations.
"I vehemently deny it — I do not know anyone from the PCC in my life. My relationship with the (transportation) sector was institutional, at the request of then-Mayor Bruno Covas. There is no possibility whatsoever that I am the owner [of Transwolff]," the former councilman told Folha on Thursday by phone.
The operation targets suspicions that bus companies providing public transportation services in municipalities across São Paulo state came to be managed by members of the criminal faction following the awarding of public contracts.
Investigators say Leite was the true owner of Transwolff, a company that managed bus lines in the state capital for years and whose contract was terminated due to suspected ties to the PCC. The request for action against the former councilman was based on two instances in which his name was mentioned by third parties.
