Conviction against ex-Brazilian Prez overturned

Brasilia, March 9

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge overturned the graft convictions against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, clearing the way for him to run in the 2022 presidential election.

On Monday, Justice Edson Fachin said a court in the southern city of Curitiba had lacked the authority to try Lula on corruption charges and that he must be re-tried in federal courts in capital Brasilia, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ruling came in response to a request filed by the former President’s legal team in November 2020. The team said in a note that Monday’s decision was recognition that the former President was innocent. Lula, 75, is a left-wing politician who governed Brazil from 2003 to 2011. He was convicted of taking bribes from engineering firms in return for public contracts in 2018 and spent more than 18 months behind bars. The prosecutor general’s office said it would appeal against Monday’s decision. –IANS