A major defeat for the largest investigation into a corruption scandal in the country's history

Brazil's Supreme Court: The Judge Who Condemned President Lula is "Partial"

  • Archive photo of President Bolsonaro (right) and Justice Minister Sergio Moro accused of bias and politicization of the Lula trial case.

    A.F.B.

  • A supporter of Lula poses for his picture during a rally in support of him outside the courthouse in São Paulo.

    Reuters

picture

The Brazilian Supreme Court announced yesterday that Judge Sergio Moro, who is behind the first conviction of Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, is "biased", in a move that constitutes a new judicial victory for the former leftist president.

A judge in the Supreme Court canceled two weeks ago, due to a misconception, all the judgments of Lula (75 years old), who will thus be able to confront the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections.

Great defeat

The decision, issued on the day before yesterday, by the second chamber of the highest judicial body in Brazil, by three votes to two, constitutes a major defeat for the largest investigation into a corruption scandal in the country's history of "quick laundering", led by Judge Morrow.

His impartiality was called into question when he agreed at the end of 2018 to become justice minister in the government of Jair Bolsonaro.

He resigned from his post, amid great fanfare last April, condemning interventions on the part of the President.

And it damaged the credibility of the investigations into the "quick wash" scandal, after that the disclosure of messages exchanged by the "The Intercept Brasil" website indicating collusion between the public prosecutors and Judge Morrow.

The chief achievement of this judge was the conviction of Lula in the first instance court in July 2017. The former president (2003-2010) was accused of acquiring a three-story apartment on the beachfront in exchange for concessions in awarding public contracts.

After he was also found guilty on appeal, Lula spent 18 months in prison from April 2018 to November 2019, before being released by another Supreme Court ruling.

The front runner

Before his imprisonment, Lula was the favorite to win the presidential election that ended with Bolsonaro's victory.

In the appeal request, which the Supreme Court deemed acceptable the day before yesterday, the defense committee of Lula said: "Judge Morrow charged the former president throughout the investigation period in the apartment case due to (political motives), to prevent him from running for a third term."

Lula spoke repeatedly about a political plot against him.

The "Prospectiva" advisory group saw yesterday that the Supreme Court's decision constitutes "a new political victory for Lula, whose eligibility is being confirmed (for the presidential elections next year), according to the successive decisions of the Supreme Court."

Although he stresses that he "is not considering running in the 2022 elections," Lula's return to the political arena has completely shuffled the cards, while a confrontation looms between him and Bolsonaro next year.

Lula constantly attacks the far-right president, especially his "foolish decisions" in his management of the health crisis resulting from the "Covid-19" epidemic, which caused the death of about 300 thousand people in Brazil.

Before his imprisonment, Lula was the favorite to win the presidential election, which ended with Bolsonaro's victory.

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