Brazil TV host 'ordered killings to boost ratings'

Brazilian police say the host of a TV crime show is under investigation for possibly ordering killings to boost his show’s popularity.

The host of the show in Brazil’s lawless Amazon region is also a state politician and a former police officer. Prosecutors said faced separate charges of drug smuggling and involvement with a gang.

Amazonas state police intelligence chief Thomaz Vasconcelos said today that investigators believe Wallace Souza “had crimes committed to generate news for his programme”.

He said Souza was being investigated in connection with as many as four killings.

Souza’s lawyer, Francisco Balieiro, said Souza is innocent and the charges are an attempt by his political enemies to disgrace him.