Brazilian TV host Wallace Souza goes on the run

Brazilian politician and TV host Wallace Souza, who is accused of ordering murders so his cameras could film the aftermath to boost viewing figures and further his political agenda, has disappeared after he was stripped of parliamentary immunity.

The 51-year-old was the presenter of popular show Canal Livre, on which he railed against crime rates and shocked viewers with exclusives from gruesome murder scenes.

Souza combined the TV job with his position as an MP for the Amazon city of Manaus, a role which afforded him immunity from prosecution. However he has officially been "on the run" since Monday when he was expelled from parliament and an arrest warrant was issued for him.

Police claim he was a drugs trafficker who ordered killings to get rid of his rivals, create scoops for his programme and lend support to his political contention that crime is out of control in Amazonas state.

Souza, a former policeman who was thrown out of the force, has vehemently denied the allegations. However, his son Rafael has been imprisoned accused of ordering killings with his father, and faces drugs trafficking and gun possession charges.

Rumours about the former TV presenter have spread through Manaus since his expulsion from parliament. Some claimed he had attempted suicide and others say that he had gone into hiding. "I don't know where he is and even if I did I wouldn't say," said Souza's lawyer, Francisco Balieiro.

Souza's alleged wrongdoings first came to light last October, following the arrest of Moacir Jorge da Costa, a former police officer and security guard. Da Costa claimed he had committed a murder that was later aired on Canal Livre and that Souza had ordered his staff to "barbarise" the city of Manaus. ·