Brazil’s Lula Must Face Prison Term, says Supreme Court

HAVANA TIMES – The Brazilian Supreme Court has rejected an attempt by former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio da Silva to stay out of jail while he appeals a controversial corruption conviction, reported Democracy Now on Thursday.

The court voted 6 to 5 against Lula, who had been the front-runner in this year’s Brazilian presidential election, despite the corruption convictions for acts during his previous terms as president (2003-2010).

It now appears Lula may soon be arrested and jailed.

Lula is a former union leader who is credited with lifting tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty with his social policies when in office. Supporters of Lula decried the ruling, saying it’s a continuation of the coup that ousted Lula’s ally Dilma Rousseff from power last year.

During an interview on Democracy Now! last month, President Lula said his prosecution is part of an attempt to criminalize the Workers’ Party.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “Now, what is behind that is the attempt to criminalize my political party. What is behind that is the interest in a part of the political elite of Brazil, together with a part of the press, reinforced by the role of the judiciary, in preventing Lula from becoming a candidate in the 2018 elections.”