President Michel Temer wants his justice and public safety minister to take a seat on the Supreme Court. The problem is, Minister Alexandre de Moraes has been rumored to be connected to a mafia group called First Capital Command (PCC) that operates within Brazil's prison system. A senate commission probed de Moraes and questioned him about his alleged involvement. The minister strongly denied he has ties to the mafia saying he and his law firm has never helped any mafia group or member.

Minister de Moraes was asked to explain his alleged involvement with the PCC, Agencia EFE reported. The minister said that he has never defended the PCC and pointed out that his firm has numerous clients. He recalled a transport company that they helped but it was a case about compensation for a traffic incident. Reports said that the transport company was allegedly involved with laundering money for the mafia.

Moreover, de Moraes said this could be a part of a smear campaign which was launched against him in 2014 when he was appointed public safety secretary of Sao Paulo. The said company was investigated and it was proven that there were no ties between him and the mafia.

The First Capital Command was said to be responsible for violent events that broke out in a number of prisons early this year. Riots were about power struggles of the PCC with other groups that would like to gain control of the prisons, Latin American Herald Tribune reported. De Moraes was to fill in a vacant position in the Supreme Court held by Judge Teori Zavascki who was killed in a plane crash in January. Judge Zavascki once investigated corruption in the state-owned Petrobras.

A number of President Temer's allies in the government are implicated for corruption and these have caused a lot of trouble for the ruling party and the president. Opposition has therefore interfered with the appointment of de Moraes to prevent him from directly influencing investigations.