Brazil judge strips Lula of office amid mounting political crisis

[joshcryer]

A supreme court judge in Brazil has blocked the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s appointment to cabinet, paving the way for him to face corruption charges in court.

Judge Gilmar Mendes wrote that Lula’s appointment to cabinet was clearly designed to allow him to avoid possible imprisonment by a lower court judge.

Lula’s appointment to cabinet on Wednesday, which sparked protests in several cities, means only the supreme court can investigate him, placing him beyond the reach of a crusading judge heading Brazil’s biggest ever graft probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras.

“The goal of the falsity is clear: prevent the carrying out of preventative arrest order” against Silva being considered by a lower court, Mendes wrote in his ruling.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/19/brazil-judge-strips-lula-of-office-amid-mounting-political-crisis

Sanity prevails.

[Ghost Dog]

1. Why would allowing the country's Supreme Court, rather than a "crusading judge",

to investigate the case be insane, josh?

[joshcryer]

2. What judge are you talking about?

This is the Supreme Court. Had the Supreme Court not intervened then they'd be going back and forth and escalating this thing.

[Ghost Dog]

3. As I understand it, this is a ruling by one Supreme Court judge,

not the Supreme Court itself, but I might be wrong, ruling on this appointment, not the Petrobras corruption case itself.

As you yourself quoted in your OP:

Lula’s appointment to cabinet on Wednesday, which sparked protests in several cities, means only the supreme court can investigate him, placing him beyond the reach of a crusading judge heading Brazil’s biggest ever graft probe into corruption at state oil company Petrobras.

[joshcryer]

4. As far as I understand by doing this it became a Supreme Court matter.

The judge basically "took the case" as it were. Before this happened there were dozens of judges across the country going at it. Now it's going to actually be heard under the Supreme Court.

[Ghost Dog]

5. I'll get back to you after doing more research, later