\n<\/p>\n
SAO PAULO (AP) \u2014 Brazilian Sen. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro denied any wrongdoing Wednesday in his reported request for millions from jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, a revelation that could harm the lawmaker\u2019s expected run for the country\u2019s presidency in October against Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva.<\/p>\n
Earlier, The Intercept Brazil published voice messages<\/a> of Bolsonaro asking Vorcaro, who is at the center of a major corruption scandal, for 61 million reais ($12 million) to produce \u201cThe Dark Horse,\u201d a movie Bolsonaro says he is making that focuses on the life of his father, jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro.<\/p>\n Vorcaro, the former CEO of the shuttered Banco Master, is the center of a fraud and graft scandal that has engulfed several high-ranking officials in Brazil since the beginning of the year. Vorcaro is accused, among other things, of defrauding Banco Master clients out of millions of dollars by convincing them to make shady investments. The case remains under investigation by the country\u2019s federal police and Supreme Court.<\/p>\n Bolsonaro, however, defended his request.<\/p>\n \u201cOur case is of a son seeking PRIVATE sponsorship for a PRIVATE film about his father\u2019s story. No public money,\u201d Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro said in a statement. \u201cI did not offer any (illegal) advantages in exchange. I did not have private encounters. I did not intermediate business with the government. I did not receive money.\u201d<\/p>\n But political consultant Thomas Traumann said the revelations could negatively impact Bolsonaro\u2019s campaign shortly before his Liberal Party holds its convention to put him on the ballot.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro is an unknown politician whose biggest asset is being son of the former president, a scandal like this could have a devastating impact,\u201d Traumann said. \u201d(Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro\u2019s) asking for money and showing intimacy with a banker who is under police investigation for fraud could force Brazil\u2019s opposition of changing its candidate to keep its chances.\u201d<\/p>\n Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro\u2019s messages to Vorcaro were sent in October, The Intercept Brazil reported .The banker was arrested in March and has since tried to strike a plea bargain deal with authorities.<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s Central Bank shut down Banco Master, whose assets topped $16 billion, in November.<\/p>\n Since the scandal broke, Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro and his allies have alleged without evidence that it should be pinned on Lula; Brazil\u2019s federal police have not linked Vorcaro to the current administration. Earlier this week, a former chief-of-staff for Jair Bolsonaro, Sen. Ciro Nogueira, denied media reports that said he received regular payments from Vorcaro to support him.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/latin-america<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n