RIO DE JANEIRO – A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Monday singled out several criminal cases against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and restored his right to seek the presidency again in a decision with the possibility of reforming Brazil’s political future.
Mr. Da Silva, an ardent left-wing leader who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, was the frontrunner in the 2018 presidential competition that was eventually won by Jair Bolsonaro. But the Supreme Court in April of that year ruled that Mr. Da Silva could not appear on the ballot due to a conviction in a corruption case rendered in 2017.
With the restoration of his political rights, it is expected that Mr. Silva teen mnr. Bolsonaro will run in next year’s presidential election.
The incumbent, a polarizing, far-right leader who pays tribute to Brazil’s military dictatorship, will face a formidable challenge in Mr da Silva, a former political prisoner still revered among poor Brazilians.
Mr. Da Silva, 75, and many of his supporters have long argued that the criminal cases against him are politically motivated. Mr. Da Silva was convicted of accepting an apartment on the beach as part of a setback scheme with government contracts.
The former president was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but a Supreme Court ruling in November 2019 allowed him to remain free while his appeals were pending.
The federal judge, Sergio Moro, who oversaw the case, left the bank shortly after Mr. Bolsonaro took office and joined the cabinet as Minister of Justice. The anti-corruption task force led by Mr. Da Silva, who is based in the southern city of Curitiba, investigated, was dissolved earlier this year amid questions about ethical and procedural irregularities by his prosecutors.
On Monday, a high court judge, Edson Fachin, ruled that da Silva should never be prosecuted in Curitiba. The ruling, which covers four criminal cases, was not an acquittal of Mr. Da Silva does not. The Attorney General’s Office said shortly after the decision was rendered that the decision was being sought by the full court.
Judge Fachin said the former president could still face charges if prosecutors in the capital, Brazil, decide to tackle some of the evacuated cases. Mr. Da Silva is facing three other corruption cases in Brasília, which have not yet ruled.
Ernesto Londoño reported from Rio de Janeiro. Letícia Casado reported on Brazil.