The majority of Brazil’s Supreme Court members supported an earlier decision to overturn the criminal conviction of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The decision was not surprising, but it could have a major impact on Brazilian politics. After all, it sure paves the way for Lula to take over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 presidential election.
The 75-year-old former president said in an interview with Portuguese broadcaster RTP earlier this month that he would apply. But then, there was another court appeal against the same judicial body’s decision to overturn his previous corruption conviction. A Supreme Court judge ruled last month that the judge who convicted Lula in 2017 was biased and ended the sentence. The Attorney General’s office has appealed, but is now rejected.
corruption
Lula ruled the most populous country and the largest economy in Latin America from 2003 to 2011. Before the 2018 elections, the Labor leader was once again ahead of the polls. However, he was subsequently sentenced to more than twelve years in prison for corruption and money laundering and was not allowed to participate in the elections. In the end, conservative and incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro won that election.
Lula and his supporters have always said that the motive behind the conviction is political. The leaked discussions from 2019 raised the issue of whether the task force responsible for his conviction during the investigation did not follow certain rules because it was after Lula’s conviction. The task force was disbanded in February.
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