Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a petition to release jailed former PresidentLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is serving a sentence for corruption.
In a 3-2vote, a panel of judges rejected freeing da Silva while they consider apetition from his defense team demanding his release because of alleged inappropriateconduct by the judge in the case. It is unclear when the court will rule on thesecond petition.
Tuesday’sruling comes in the wake of leaked documents and text messages published by theonline news site The Intercept that it said show then-judge Sergio Morooffering guidance to prosecutors in investigations that led to the convictionand jailing of da Silva. The conviction helped block da Silva from seeking thepresidency again in October’s election.
Moro, whois now Brazil’s justice minister, denies wrongdoing. Da Silva and hissupporters say the leaker material is proof that his conviction was corruptedand he maintains his innocence.
Da Silva,who was president in 2003-2010, was convicted of corruption and moneylaundering over a beachfront apartment that prosecutors say he received from aconstruction company in exchange for lucrative government contracts. Da Silvais serving his sentence in the police delegation in the southern city ofCuritibia.
In April,Brazil’s second-highest court refused to annul his conviction but reduced thesentence from 12 years and one month to eight years and 10 months. He has beenjailed since April 7, 2018.
(Published by, the Washington post June 2019)
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