Lula Arrested

04/07/2018 - 19h02

Advertising

FROM SÃO PAULO

Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 72, was placed under arrest on Saturday (the 7th) after turning himself in to the Federal Police.

More than 48 hours had passed since the issuing of the detention order by federal judge Sergio Moro on Thursday (the 5th) and Lula's arrest.

Judge Sergio Moro had ordered the arrest of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and stipulated that he turn himself in to the Federal Police in Curitiba by 5 PM on Friday (the 6th). Instead of this, Lula agreed yesterday morning to turn himself in after a Mass for his deceased wife, Marisa, who died in 2017.

The former president had spent the last two days inside of the headquarters of the ABC Metalworkers Union in São Bernando, where thousands of militants had congregated.

Lula tried to leave the Union headquarters around 5 PM on Saturday (the 7th) but militants surrounded the gate and prevented him from leaving by car. The former president then got out of the car and went back inside the ABC Metalworkers Union building in São Bernardo do Campo.

Around 6:40 PM he left the building again, this time on foot, and crossed an alley and got into another car that was waiting nearby.

He will now be taken by police to a cell in the southern city of Curitiba.

Lula was condemned by Judge Moro in the Guarujá triplex apartment case in July of 2017. In January, judges from the 4th Regional Federal Tribunal (TRF-4) upheld the condemnation and voted to increase the PT Party leader's sentence to 12 years and one month in prison.

Marlene Bergamo/Folhapress Former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva waves to supporters on April 7 at the metalworkers' union headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he had avoided prison for two days

Read the article in the original language