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| Brazil's Lula faces jail for corruption after supreme court ruling | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Brazil’s supreme court has rejected the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s plea to avoid prison while he appeals a corruption conviction, in a move that likely ends his political career and deepens divisions in the country. | Brazil’s supreme court has rejected the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s plea to avoid prison while he appeals a corruption conviction, in a move that likely ends his political career and deepens divisions in the country. |
| The pivotal vote was cast by Justice Rosa Weber against Lula’s request to avoid jail and begin serving his 12-year sentence for accepting bribes. Weber was seen as the only swing vote and her decision sealed Lula’s fate. He may be jailed within a week. | The pivotal vote was cast by Justice Rosa Weber against Lula’s request to avoid jail and begin serving his 12-year sentence for accepting bribes. Weber was seen as the only swing vote and her decision sealed Lula’s fate. He may be jailed within a week. |
| The ruling marks an extraordinary turn of events for Brazil’s most popular politician, who left office with an approval rating of more than 80% and whose social policies helped lift millions of people out of poverty. He leads opinion polls before a presidential election in October, despite his conviction and six separate pending corruption trials. | |
| Recently, however, Lula became a more polarising figure as the economy struggled and multiple corruption allegations emerged. According to the polling institute Datafolha, 53% want him jailed. | Recently, however, Lula became a more polarising figure as the economy struggled and multiple corruption allegations emerged. According to the polling institute Datafolha, 53% want him jailed. |
| Lula has said he is innocent and the charges are politically motivated to prevent him from running for president again. | Lula has said he is innocent and the charges are politically motivated to prevent him from running for president again. |
| The decision is a serious blow to the political survival of Brazil’s first working-class president, whose career from a factory shop floor to high office is sinking in the corruption scandals that have rocked the political establishment and especially his Workers’ Party, which held power from 2003 until 2016. | The decision is a serious blow to the political survival of Brazil’s first working-class president, whose career from a factory shop floor to high office is sinking in the corruption scandals that have rocked the political establishment and especially his Workers’ Party, which held power from 2003 until 2016. |
| Brazilian society remains deeply divided after Lula’s successor Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office amid a corruption scandal and an economic crisis. | |
| Lula’s conviction was upheld on a first appeal in January. Under Brazilian electoral law, a candidate is forbidden from running for elected office for eight years after being found guilty of a crime. Some exemptions have been made in the past, and the ultimate decision in Lula’s case would be made by the highest electoral court if and when Lula officially files to be a candidate. | |
| Lower court judges, the country’s leading prosecutor and business groups urged the court to abide by its 2016 ruling that defendants can be jailed if a conviction is upheld on a first appeal. | |
| Appeals in Brazil’s complex and badly backlogged legal system can stretch out for several years, guaranteeing impunity for those sufficiently wealthy to afford lawyers who can launch countless technical appeals. | |
| Tensions increased on Tuesday when the commander of Brazil’s army weighed in with tweets calling on the court to stand guard against impunity. That rattled nerves across Brazil, which was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964 until 1985 and has a long history of coups interrupting democratic regimes. | Tensions increased on Tuesday when the commander of Brazil’s army weighed in with tweets calling on the court to stand guard against impunity. That rattled nerves across Brazil, which was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1964 until 1985 and has a long history of coups interrupting democratic regimes. |
| Gen Eduardo Villas Bôas wrote that the army, along with “all good citizens, repudiates impunity and respects the constitution, social peace and democracy”. | |
| Villas Bôas said the army would stick to its constitutional role. But retired officers have warned that the military would not take lightly to the supreme court, which has rejected nearly all similar appeals in the past two years, ruling that Lula could remain free on appeal. | Villas Bôas said the army would stick to its constitutional role. But retired officers have warned that the military would not take lightly to the supreme court, which has rejected nearly all similar appeals in the past two years, ruling that Lula could remain free on appeal. |
| Lula was found guilty last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting bribes worth 3.7m reais (£790,000) from OAS, the amount of money prosecutors said the construction company spent refurbishing a beach apartment for Lula in return for his help winning contracts with the state-run oil company Petrobras. | |
| In January, an appeal court unanimously upheld his conviction and increased the prison sentence to 12 years. | |
| Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Brazil | Brazil |
| Americas | Americas |
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