Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the former president of Brazil, last night walked free from jail after more than a year behind bars.

Mr Lula, 74, pumped his fist in the air and was mobbed by a swarm of cheering supporters waving red flags

His release came after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for thousands of convicts to be freed while awaiting appeals.

Mr Lula has been in jail since April 2018, serving a nine year sentence for corruption after being found guilty of taking bribes from engineering firms in return for public contracts.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside a police building in Curitiba in anticipation of his release.

After emerging from a police building in Curitiba, he vowed to "continue fighting" for ordinary Brazilians, and to "show the lying side of the federal police."

Earlier, he had posted "Lula Free" on social media, along with a video of himself working out and lifting weights in a gym.