São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos), who is running for reelection, said on Thursday (17) that his relationship with Milton Leite, the former president of the São Paulo City Council who faces a temporary arrest warrant in a probe into the infiltration of the PCC crime faction into the city's bus system, "was always institutional". He spoke to journalists during a visit to the construction site of the Hospital Regional de Itapetininga, in the state's interior.

"It was always an institutional relationship, a proactive relationship, focused on projects, and that is how we have worked. This has nothing to do with other matters, which are the object of an investigation," the governor said, according to InfoMoney. The outlet reported that he cited discussions on basic sanitation and bringing rail service to Parelheiros, in the city's south, as examples of his dealings with Leite, and that he did not directly answer whether the operation changes his support for the former councillor's sons. "On our part, what we had was always an institutional relationship," he repeated. In his view, "police operations do not see people, do not see parties, do not see political positions. They see facts".

How the case got here

Operation Vectura Corrupta, launched on Thursday by the São Paulo Civil Police and the Gaeco, the organized crime unit of the state prosecutors' office (MP-SP), served 16 arrest warrants and 18 search and seizure warrants, according to InfoMoney, to investigate the reach of the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital), Brazil's largest criminal faction, in the city's bus system. Leite, who led the City Council for six years, is a suspect in the scheme, is considered a fugitive by police and denied the accusations in an interview with Folha de S.Paulo. Key moments:

• August 30: Tarcísio attended the campaign launch of Leite's sons, Alexandre Leite (running for state deputy) and Milton Leite Filho (for federal deputy), both of União Brasil, in the Campo Grande neighborhood of southern São Paulo. According to Folha, Leite donated 60,000 reais to his sons' campaigns, 30,000 reais each.
• September 17: the operation was launched and Leite became the target of a temporary arrest warrant. In a video, Alexandre Leite said he and his brother had suspended campaign schedules "until we manage to regroup" and that he learned of his father's warrant from the press. Later that day, Tarcísio addressed the case in Itapetininga.

Reactions and next steps

In a video posted on social media, Alexandre Leite called the court decision "a cowardice".

"It is a cowardice, a 70-year-old man with an unblemished public career, at a moment like this, on the eve of the election, [to face] this kind of decision."

InfoMoney reported that São Paulo mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB), a Leite ally, praised the former council president's "history" and said it is up to Leite to prove his innocence. The first round of Brazil's elections is scheduled for October 4, and Tarcísio did not say whether he still supports the sons.

The warrant for Leite's temporary arrest remains unserved and police still list him as a fugitive. Another target in the same situation is businessman Paulo Korek, known as Paulinho Camarão, whom investigators describe as a front man for the faction in the transport sector; his lawyers told news site G1 he intends to turn himself in, and his company A2 Transportes denies any ties to the PCC. Under Brazilian law (Law 7,960/89), temporary arrest lasts for a set period, and when that period ends the state prosecutors must decide whether to file charges against the suspects.