Lula Institute slams ruling by Brazil supreme court
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been a victim of the judiciary's "intimidation" campaign, his foundation says.
The Lula Institute censured the judiciary on Sunday over a "series of arbitrary actions" against the ex-president.
His lawyers urged the court on Sunday to annul an earlier ruling, according to which he was blocked from his new job as the cabinet chief by a supreme court judge.
"Lula is not accused of any crime, even after an absolutely invasive investigation and the intimidation he has been subjected to in recent months," his foundation said in a statement.
Judge Gilmar Mendes who issued the ruling on Friday argued that his appointment as chief of staff to President Dilma Rousseff was meant to allow him to avoid possible imprisonment by a lower court judge over corruption.
“The goal of the falsity is clear: prevent the carrying out of preventative arrest order” being considered by a lower court against him, Mendes said.
“It would be plausible to conclude that the appointment and subsequent swearing-in could constitute fraud of the constitution,” wrote the judge.
Earlier this month, Lula was detained by police and questioned for three hours as part of a graft investigation, centered on the state-controlled oil company Petrobras.
Critics say Lula’s new post as the chief of staff shields him from prosecution in the Petrobras corruption inquiry, which has implicated several business leaders and politicians close to the government.
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