Brasília: Quashing his bid to return to power, Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the country’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be imprisoned while he appeals his corruption conviction. Chief Justice Carmen Lúcia Antunes Rocha cast the deciding vote, reported the New York Times.
He is facing 12 years in jail on charges of accepting a bribe but had asked to remain free during his appeal. Maintaining his innocence, Lula has said that the charges are politically motivated to prevent him running for president again. Silva’s Workers’ Party, in a statement posted on Twitter, wrote, ” No matter how many roses the mighty kill, they will never manage to stop spring.”
Da Silva, who is known commonly as Lula, was convicted of corruption and money laundering last July and was and sentenced to almost 10 years of imprisonment. However, in January, an appeals court unanimously increased the sentence to 12 years, the report said. Lula served as president from 2003 to 2011.(ANI)