BRASILIA, March 8 – Justice Luiz Edson Fachin wrote in his decision that the court in the city of Curitiba, which sentenced da Silva twice for corruption and money laundering, didn’t have the jurisdiction to put the leftist leader on trial.
Both convictions stemmed from a mammoth corruption scandal at state-run oil giant Petrobras, brought to light by the so-called Car Wash investigation. The investigation was focused on Petrobras and its contractors.
Lula, as he is known throughout Brazil, governed Latin America’s largest economy between 2003 and 2011. He was convicted over graft allegations in 2018 and released in late 2019.
He received a sentence of 12 years and seven months for allegedly receiving the apartment worth about $1 million as a bribe from construction company OAS.
Monday’s court decision means Lula would be eligible to run for president next year should he wish to challenge the incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, according to local newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
