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Brazil judge gives order that could free Lula from prison
Date created : 19/12/2018 - 18:58
Brasília (AFP)
A Brazilian supreme court judge on Wednesday issued an order that could see former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva soon released from prison, where he is serving a 12-year term for graft.
Justice Marco Aurelio Mello ruled that all prisoners in Lula's situation -- those whose convictions have been confirmed by a second court -- should be freed while final appeals were under way if their lawyers request it.
The decision was unexpected and sent a jolt through Brazil's political and legal circles just ahead of far-right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration on January 1.
Up to now, the country's courts had rejected multiple efforts by Lula's lawyers to win the ex-leader's release. The full supreme court had said it was to convene on April 10, 2019 to consider the matter abruptly decided by Mello.
More:
https://www.france24.com/en/20181219-brazil-judge-gives-order-could-free-lula-prison