The inquiry into payments from a port operator is the only remaining case against the corruption-hit leader

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A bribery investigation into the Brazilian president Michel Temer has found no evidence of corruption and could soon conclude no crime was committed, according to police.

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Police found no proof that a decree signed last year by Temer favored logistics firm Rodrimar SA, which operates services in the Port of Santos, Latin America’s busiest container port, Fernando Segovia, head of the federal police, told Reuters on Friday.

The bribery probe is the only case pending against Temer, who last year avoided standing trial before the supreme court when allies in congress shielded him from charges of corruption, obstruction of justice and organized crime.

“What we see is that the decree itself did not in theory benefit the company. There was no benefit. And there is no word about money being paid,” said Segovia, who was appointed by Temer late last year.

“Until now, absolutely nothing has appeared that would be the basis for corruption.”

The main piece of evidence turned up by the investigation was a wiretap of a conversation between former congressman Rodrigo Rocha Loures, a close aide to the president, and a presidential legal advisor, Gustavo Rocha.

But the conversation shows the legal adviser saying the decree could not be changed to favour the company and that Temer opposed such a change, Segovia said.

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The decree, published in May, extended contracts governing port concessions, benefiting current operators.

Rocha Loures was arrested in June after being filmed with a suitcase of cash received from a meatpacking company, JBS, as part of a separate investigation, in which he has been charged with corruption, which he denies.

Temer has denied any role in the corruption scandals and answered questions put to him in writing by the police even though he was not legally obliged to do so, his lawyer said.

According to press reports, police asked Temer whether he was offered campaign donations by representatives from the Port of Santos in exchange for fulfilling their demands, among other questions.

Segovia said the investigation should be wrapped up within three months. Asked if the case was likely to be shelved, he said: “In the end, we could even conclude that there was no crime committed.”

Temer took office in 2016 when he succeeded Dilma Rousseff after she was impeached for illegally using money from state banks to bankroll public spending.