A Brazilian court has sentenced former President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva to a further 12 years and 11 months in prison for corruption.<\/p>\n
Lula, as he is known, was found guilty of taking renovation work from a company implicated in a massive corruption scheme.<\/p>\n
The former president is already serving a 12-year sentence over work done on a beach-front property.<\/p>\n
His lawyers said he would appeal against the new conviction.<\/p>\n
The former trade union activist and iconic figure for the left in Latin America led Brazil between 2003 and 2010.<\/p>\n
Lula, 73, denies all the charges against him, claiming they are politically motivated<\/a>\u00a0and designed to stop him running for president.<\/p>\n Federal Judge Gabriela Hardt said construction group OAS extensively redecorated a farmhouse which Lula frequently visited.<\/p>\n Lula’s lawyers argued the house did not belong to him but instead to a friend, Fernando Bittar.<\/p>\n But Judge Hardt said the ex-leader went to the property far more than the owner and ordered the building work – which reportedly cost the company more than one million reais (\u00a3209,000; $270,000).<\/p>\n “The accused received these unjustified benefits because of his position as president of the republic, of whom exemplary behaviour is demanded,” she reportedly ruled.<\/p>\n Ms Hardt is the new head of a sprawling investigation known as Operation Car Wash – a colossal corruption probe dubbed\u00a0“the largest foreign bribery case in history”<\/a>\u00a0by the US Department of Justice.<\/p>\n The former judge in charge, Sergio Moro, resigned the job last year when he took up the role of justice minister in newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.<\/p>\n Head of Lula’s left-wing Worker’s Party (PT)\u00a0Gleisi Hoffmann tweeted that “the persecution of Lula continues”<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those convicted in Brazil can often be released on probation after only a third of their sentence, which means that the 73-year-old could now be behind bars for the next eight years, rather than the next four.<\/p>\n The former president was not allowed to leave prison last week to attend his brother’s funeral.<\/p>\n President Bolsonaro said he hopes Lula “rots in prison” in a video address in October<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Wednesday\u00a0he tweeted news of the conviction without comment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What is the latest case about?<\/h2>\n
What’s the reaction?<\/h2>\n