Monday, March 26, 2018

Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva Has Lost His Appeal On His Corruption Conviction

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends a rally in Sao Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Diego Vara

Reuters: Brazil's Lula loses procedural appeals, faces prison

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian appeals court rejected on Monday final procedural objections raised by lawyers of former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva against his conviction for corruption, raising the possibility that he will soon be jailed.

However, Lula will not be imprisoned until the country’s Supreme Court decides on April 4 whether to accept his request that he be allowed to exhaust his appeals process before landing in jail.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that defendants should begin serving prison sentences after their conviction was upheld on a first appeal. However, several members of the court are pressing to revisit that decision and perhaps reverse it.

Lula, Brazil’s first working-class leader, remains the most popular politician in Latin America’s biggest nation. He oversaw years of robust growth and falling inequality during a commodity boom last decade, and wants to run again for president.

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WNU Editor: This ends any hope that he may have had in running in this year's Presidential election  .... Lula Presidential Bid Less Likely After Brazil Court Ruling (Bloomberg).

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