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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Brazilian judge's surprise ruling may free ex-president Lula |
| 2018-12-20 |
[Al Jazeera] A Brazilian Supreme Court justice issued a surprise ruling on Wednesday that could lead to the release of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was tossed in the calaboose... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... this year on a corruption conviction. Lula was tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... in April after being sentenced to more than 12 years in prison, and faces six other trials for alleged corruption. He has maintained his innocence, dismissing the charges as a political plot against him. Justice Marco Aurelio Mello issued the decision, which suspends the enforcement of the same court's earlier ruling that allows for convicts to be tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... after their sentence is upheld on first appeal, as was the case with Lula. Mello's decision must next be considered by the full panel of the Supreme Court, which is divided on the issue of whether to allow those convicted to remain free until their case fully winds through Brazil's complex and backlogged legal system. It is not yet clear if Lula could be freed from prison before the full court makes any decision, which would not happen until early next year, as the court goes into recess later on Wednesday. If the decision stands, Lula could go free until he exhausts all appeals, a process which could take years. Gleisi Hoffmann, who leads the leftist Workers Party that Lula founded, said via Twitter that the party had already filed legal requests before the top court to request that Lula be freed. The office of Brazil's prosecutor general said it was studying Mello's decision and weighing its options. Prosecutors strongly oppose any backtracking on the ability of lower courts to order convicts to prison after their conviction is upheld on a first appeal. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 A surprise ruling favoring a corrupt powerful candidate. Gee, I wonder what that means. |
| Posted by: gorb 2018-12-20 20:49 |