Probe launched of judge who ordered Lula freed

RIO DE JANEIRO: Prosecutors in Brazil ordered an investigation Wednesday of the appellate judge who caused a legal mess over the weekend, unsuccessfully ordering former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be freed.

Attorney- General Raquel Dodge ordered an investigaiton into the actions of appeals judge Rogerio Favreto, who was the weekend duty magistrate.

Dodge said there was evidence that when he acted professionally, he did so “motivated by personal feelings and interests,” according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.

Lula, still the favorite ahead of the October presidential election, has been serving a sentence of 12 years and one month in prison for corruption and money laundering for more than three months. He insists he is innocent.

The appeals judge on Sunday ordered Lula freed, in violation of procedures and regulations, Dodge said.

The judge was a Workers’ Party member for almost two decades, and several times worked as a consultant for Lula’s government. — AFP