SÃO PAULO – The Supreme Court of Brazil ruled that the judge who convicted former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of corruption was partial, which reinforced the likely election candidacy of the left-wing leader next year.
In a ruling Tuesday afternoon, the court concluded that Sergio Moro, the lower court judge overseeing corruption trials in the country’s car wash, did not act impartially in the case amid allegations he trained the fiscal. The decision overturns Mr da Silva’s 2017 conviction for allegations he received an apartment on the beach as a bribe, a conviction that later left him in jail and prevented him from running in the last presidential election.
After being released from prison in 2019, Mr da Silva has become the country’s main opposition leader and the strongest challenger to President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces growing criticism for his treatment of the pandemic. Covid-19. The death toll from the Brazilian virus hit a daily high of 3,251 on Tuesday as hospitals across the country run out of beds and have deficits in oxygen and other supplies.
The Supreme Court ruling is “virtually checkmate” for the country’s investigation into car wash vehicle corruption, an extensive investigation that began in 2014 over inflated contracts at oil company Petróleo Brasileiro SA, he said. Vera Chemim, constitutional lawyer based in São Paulo. “It simply came to our notice then [Mr. da Silva] he will be able to run in the next elections in 2022, ”he said.
Da Silva’s conviction has divided Latin America’s largest country since 2017, with supporters of the charismatic former steel worker arguing he was the victim of political persecution. After helping to direct investigations into vehicle washing, Mr. Moro accepted a job as Mr. Justice Minister. Bolsonaro, though he later left office. The current president is Mr. da Silva’s rival, and some political scientists say Mr. Bolsonaro would never have won the presidency if the left-wing leader had let himself be introduced in 2018.