Lula's Brazil presidential run in doubt after conviction upheld
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s plans to run for the presidency this year were dealt a major blow when an appeals court unanimously upheld a corruption conviction against him and added to his sentence.
All three appellate court judges voted to uphold Lula’s convictions on taking bribes and money laundering. They also added two-and-a-half years to his sentence, condemning him to 12 years in prison.
Lula, Brazil’s first working-class leader, so far remains free pending future appeals. Lula, 72, could now be ineligible to stand for election under a law that bans political candidates whose convictions have been upheld by an appellate court.
Lula’s exclusion from the October election would radically alter the political landscape ahead of a campaign in which he is the early favourite, with 36 per cent of voter preferences according to pollster Datafolha. That is double the percentage of his nearest rival, the far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, who has been energised by anti-Lula sentiment.
But Lula still has options. An electoral court must make the final ruling on a candidacy, and would only do so once a candidate had registered.
Lula can appeal yesterday’s decision by the appeals court in Porto Alegre to Brazil’s top appeals court or to the Supreme Court to delay a final ruling, possibly avoiding jail and stringing the process out long enough to register his candidacy by the August 15 deadline.
Lula is one of scores of powerful politicians and businessmen caught up in sweeping corruption probes that have wracked the Brazilian establishment since 2014. He is among over 100 people convicted in the “Car Wash” investigation, the most sprawling of Brazil’s numerous probes.