Lula gets 13 years in new graft conviction
A Brazilian court has handed a near 13-year sentence to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a new corruption conviction for the former leftist president already serving a lengthy jail term in a separate case.
Lula, 73, was found guilty by a court in the southern city of Curitiba of accepting renovation work by two construction companies on a farmhouse in exchange for ensuring they won contracts with the state-run oil company Petrobras. He was given a sentence of 12 years and 11 months by the court in the city of Curitiba.
A legal expert, Thiago Bottino do Amaral of the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told AFP that under Brazilian law, prison terms can be served one after the other as long as the total time behind bars does not exceed 30 years.
Lula, since April last year, is already serving a 12-year term for corruption in a separate case. His prison is in Curitiba.
The former leftist leader ruled Brazil between 2003 and 2010.
He has denied all the charges against him, claiming they are politically motivated with the aim of preventing him competing in elections last year.