



In a rather grotesque prossess, the Chief Justice of the Appeals Court in Brazil, before hearing any evidence, deems Judge Moro’s decision impeccable. Evidence against the former Brazilian President Lula da Silva, is almost entirely based on plea bargain testimony of a convicted criminal who wanted his sentence reduced. Brazil's political elite is going after Lula and the Workers Party to eliminate them from running in the next Presidential election this year, according to CEPR co-director Mark Weisbrot.





It appears that this particular case with Lula da Silva is being initiated partly from the Unites States and Weisbrot reveals the connection of judge Sergio Moro with the US foreign policy establishment and other US institutions who portray him as a heroic figure who fights corruption.





Recall also that WikiLeaks described the Senate-imposed President of Brazil Michel Temer – after the constitutional coup against Dilma Rousseff in 2016 - as a “U.S. Embassy informant” in a tweet and provided two links where Temer's candid thoughts on Brazilian politics serve as the basis for a report by the U.S. embassy in Brazil. The cable from Jan. 11, 2006, states that Temer met with embassy officials on Jan. 9, 2006 to give his assessment of Brazil's political landscape ahead of the 2006 general election that saw Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reelected to the presidency.









As Weisbrot wrote recently:





The evidence against Mr. da Silva is far below the standards that would be taken seriously in, for example, the United States’ judicial system.





He is accused of having accepted a bribe from a big construction company, called OAS, which was prosecuted in Brazil’s “Carwash” corruption scheme. That multibillion-dollar scandal involved companies paying large bribes to officials of the state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to obtain contracts at grossly inflated prices.





The bribe alleged to have been received by Mr. da Silva is an apartment owned by OAS. But there is no documentary evidence that either Mr. da Silva or his wife ever received title to, rented or even stayed in the apartment, nor that they tried to accept this gift.





The evidence against Mr. da Silva is based on the testimony of one convicted OAS executive, José Aldemário Pinheiro Filho, who had his prison sentence reduced in exchange for turning state’s evidence. According to reporting by the prominent Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, Mr. Pinheiro was blocked from plea bargaining when he originally told the same story as Mr. da Silva about the apartment. He also spent about six months in pretrial detention. (This evidence is discussed in the 238-page sentencing document.)





But this scanty evidence was enough for Judge Moro. In something that Americans might consider to be a kangaroo court proceeding, he sentenced Mr. da Silva to nine and a half years in prison.





promotion video of the Lava Jato operation indicates how highly suspicious are the real intentions of Sergio Moro. He is considered the one who started this operation supposedly to fight corruption in Brazil. Yet, it seems like a covert operation to crush the image and the reliability of the Leftist politicians who enjoy high popularity.





The video ends with Lula da Silva, sentenced to jail for allegedly taking bribes. Not a single word about (as characterized by many) one of the most corrupted presidents, Michel Temer! The neoliberal pro-Washington Temer, not only currently stays in his position, but it is known that he was put in power after a constitutional coup against previous Leftist president and Lula's successor, Dilma Rousseff!





Furthermore, the video proceeds beyond its prosecutional 'territory' towards indirect political positions. The narrative almost implies that poverty in Brazil is linked with state corruption through government officials in power. Well, poverty in Brazil and elsewhere is a complex story, related mostly to specific policies applied by neoliberal politicians like Temer in favor of the elites. But we guess that this is not considered 'corruption' according to the video.





It is obvious that Washington's dirty hands are all over this story. The US-backed coup will be continued in Brazil, mainly for two reasons: first, it will permit the US corporatism to rebound in the country, exploiting its resources, and second, it will prevent Brazil from establishing an even stronger relation with the rest of the BRICS.





But the Brazilians should know that this new neoliberal onslaught against Brazil will postpone any hopes of millions to escape from poverty.





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