Brazilian Judge: Former President Lula Must Be Released

The former Brazilian President Lula must be released from a federal judge pending the processing of his appeal. The former president of the left has been in prison in Curitiba for three months for being sentenced to twelve years in prison for corruption and money laundering. He allegedly received an apartment from a construction company on the beach of Sao Paulo in exchange for orders from the oil company Petrobas

Lula, 72, has always denied his participation and appealed of the verdict. This appeal has not yet been dealt with and, according to the Federal Judge, Lula can wait for it in complete freedom. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that Lula must remain in prison.

Lula's release is not yet clear. According to the judge who sentenced Lula, the federal judge does not have the power to release him

. Politically motivated

Lula was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011. Thousands of opponents went out into the street this year to demand a jail sentence for him. Lula's supporters have just called for his immediate release. Lula still wants to participate in the presidential elections of October. In some polls, Lula is the favorite.

His supporters were indignant that he was not allowed to wait for his appeal at liberty, because until recently, such a thing was customary. According to Lula, the indictment against him is "politically motivated".

Wasstraat Operation

Brazilian justice and police have been fighting a bitter fight against corruption in the country since 2014. Dozens of politicians have been imprisoned as part of "Operation Car Wash". Convicts had to go to prison and could no longer rely on relative impunity.