A well-connected businessman in Brazil conceived the idea of a luxurious getaway in Rio de Janeiro bearing a world-famous name: Trump.

After work began on the Trump Hotel Rio de Janeiro, the businessman, Paulo Figueiredo Filho, boasted about his access to Donald Trump, who was then a candidate for president. Mr Figueiredo, grandson of the last military dictator in the authoritarian government that ran Brazil from 1964 to 1985, displayed a picture of himself with Mr Trump at the Trump Tower in New York, both men flashing a thumbs-up sign.

“He’s one of the most recognised businessmen in the world, and if anything, we’re getting more exposure,” Mr Figueiredo told The New York Times in an interview in 2015, in which he expressed admiration for Mr Trump’s policy positions.

But at the end of 2016, the Trump Organization pulled out of the project, and the golden letters with the Trump name were removed from the seaside building.

And now, the Brazilian investors who backed the project are engulfed in a growing bribery scandal, and an international arrest warrant is expected to be issued for Mr Figueiredo.

Federal police in Brazil this week arrested 13 entrepreneurs and bank executives charged with diverting public pension funds into two commercial projects, including the former Trump hotel, in exchange for bribes and illegal commissions. The other project was a sprawling office building in Brasília.

Investigators did not implicate the Trump Organisation in the scheme.

Authorities in Brazil said they are going to ask Interpol to issue an alert seeking the arrest of Mr Figueiredo, who is now living in the United States.

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Trump Hotels withdrew from the project in December 2016, just weeks after federal prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into the funding scheme. Prosecutors in the capital, Brasília, began the probe in October 2016, after identifying large investments in the hotel made by two small public pension funds.

At the time, the Trump Organisation said it had pulled out because of delays in completing the 13-story, 171-room luxury property. The hotel opened in August 2016, in time for the Olympic Games, but before several floors and facilities had been finished, including a 4,000-square-foot nightclub.

The hotel was using the Trump name, and the Trump Organisation had been managing the property. But the Trump Organisation did not have an equity stake in the project, which was owned by LSH Barra, a Brazilian company based in Rio de Janeiro.

Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Show all 16 1 /16 Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Gleyse Kelly da Silva embraces her daughter Maria Giovanna, who has microcephaly, in 2016. She has help from her husband and mother in caring for "Gigi". But the burden is still great, and she was forced to leave her job as a toll attendant Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil "She does not sit alone, she does not roll, she does not do anything alone," Gleyse said. Gigi needs an orthopedist, but there are not enough to go around, and she's perpetually on waiting lists Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Gleyse holds her now two-year-old daughter Maria Giovanna, at their house in Recife. She struggles with navigating her daughter's wheelchair on public transportation. Few buses have working lifts, and some drivers have refused to help her. Such struggles prompted Gleyse to help create the Union of Mothers of Angels, which provides advice and logistical support for mothers of children with microcephaly. The group now serves more than 250 families in Pernambuco Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil A few years ago Jackeline Vieira de Souza fought to overcome a very rare complication from an earlier pregnancy, and then survived cancer. "My dream was to be a mother again," she says. In 2015, she got her wish. But during her pregnancy, she learned that her son had microcephaly. "When he was born, I fell in love with him because I knew he would be a good thing in my life, even with the difficulties I would have to face." In this picture Jackeline uses a green bottle to stimulate her then four-month-old son Daniel Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Jackeline stands by as Daniel, who is now two years old, during an evaluation session with a physiotherapist at the Association of Parents and Friends of the Exceptional in Recife Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Jackeline holds up Daniel, then just four months old. Daniel's father separated from Jackeline shortly after learning that his son had microcephaly. He pays a small amount of family support every month, in addition to a monthly check that Jackeline gets from the government Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Daniel with his brother at their house. It takes several hours to travel by bus between their home in Olinda and Recife, where Daniel goes for treatments. Lately, those trips are somewhat less frequent, and Jackeline believes Daniel's health is more stable. She has no illusions that her son will ever walk, eat on his own or live a normal life. Yet in many ways she is grateful for her "miracle" baby, who she says makes her feel "happy and more accomplished." Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Rosana Vieira Alves and her then five-month-old daughter Luana Vieira, who was born with microcephaly, in the sea of Porto de Galinhas. She has three daughters. "It's hard to manage the girls. Some of them are jealous, but Luana needs more care. In time, they'll understand." Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Rosana holds up Luana at their house in 2016. She does not have any family support and is overwhelmed by the cost of housing and Luana's medicines. She counts it a victory that she has managed to get a wheelchair for Luana, and worries about the four surgeries her daughter needs to correct problems with her eyes, her gut and the position of her hips and feet Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Rosana, 28, washes her now two-year-old daughter Luana. The demands have taken Rosana to some dark places, and she confesses that she has considered suicide. But she still dreams of a better future, and hopes to get a degree in accounting or civil engineering Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Luana reacts to stimulus during an evaluation session with a physiotherapist at the Altino Ventura rehabilitation center in Recife Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Rosana carries Luana (then four months old), while taking her daughters Laiane Sophia (left) and Vitoria Evillen to their school Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Gabriela Alves de Azevedo, holds her then four-month-old daughter Ana Sophia, who was born with microcephaly, at their house in 2016. Gabriela had planned to finish high school and study physical therapy. Now, she spends her days caring for her child Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Ana Sophia, now three-years-old, being held by Gabriela. Her husband left shortly after the birth. He could not accept their child's condition, Gabriela says, and does not pay child support Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Gabriela bathing her Ana Sophia, in 2016. After he husband left she said: "I went into depression and my family helped me. If it was not for them, I would have gone crazy." Reuters Mothers of babies afflicted by Zika fight poverty in Brazil Silvina da Silva poses with her two-year-old granddaughter Ana Sophia Reuters

When the Trump Organisation withdrew, the property’s name was changed to LSH Lifestyle, and all the floors and other work were eventually completed. Mr Figueiredo was one of three partners in LSH Barra. The other two have been arrested.

Mr Figueiredo, a young real estate mogul from Rio de Janeiro, was also on friendly terms with Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil. Flávio Bolsonaro, who has recently become the focus of a corruption investigation, shared a picture on social media calling Mr Figueiredo a “successful businessman with good sense and a highly qualified political vision.”

The developers behind LSH Barra are now being charged with corruption, money laundering and crimes against the financial system. Current and former directors of the state-owned Banco de Brasília and intermediaries who facilitated fake receipts are also facing charges.

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Efforts to reach LSH Barra and Mr Figueiredo for comment on Thursday were not successful.

Investigators overseeing the probe, which they called Operation Circus Maximus, said more than 40 million reais ($11m or £8.4m) in bribes were paid. The investments stood to affect hundreds of thousands of pension fund contributors.

“The contempt those involved had for the consequences of their actions is undeniable,” Frederico Siqueira, a federal prosecutor, said in a statement, adding that the losses incurred as a result of the scheme totaled about $110m (£84m).

Prosecutors said the bribes were frequently paid in cash but some were in kind, including VIP tickets to the Rock in Rio mega-concert and free catering for a wedding party.