By Ricardo Brito
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Wednesday he has nothing to hide regarding allegedly leaked personal messages with prosecutors from his time as the judge leading the bribery trial that jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Moro has come under intense pressure after messages published by news website The Intercept allegedly show he advised prosecutors to influence public opinion against the leftist leader.
In Senate committee testimony on Wednesday, Moro said some of the messages attributed to him may have been deliberately doctored to generate a scandal and invalidate convictions in the "Car Wash" graft and political bribery investigation.
He said organized crime was behind the hacking seeking to undermine continuing investigations.
"They are doing this to undermine the anti-corruption drive, which was not something I or prosecutors achieved, but which Brazilian society achieved," Moro told senators. "I have nothing to hide."
Moro said he always acted within the law during the Car Wash investigations, and that anyone convicted of corruption was done so for no other reason than they were guilty of corruption.
Moro was picked for justice minister by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who won the presidency after Lula was barred from running because of his conviction. Moro has said he will not resign, and Bolsonaro has said there is "no chance, zero" of Moro being forced out.