'Innocent people should not serve prison sentences,' says Dilma regarding the decision against Lula.
"The only acceptable outcome for the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) was the annulment of the sentence that convicted Lula and his pure and simple acquittal," stated the deposed president, Dilma Rousseff, in a note about the trial that convicted Lula in the third instance in the triplex case and reduced his sentence; "It is clear that the reduction of the prison sentence is a concession that does not eliminate or even mitigate the brutal injustice committed against Lula (...). Lula is innocent and innocent people should not serve sentences," she added.
247 - In a statement, deposed President Dilma Rousseff commented on the decision of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), which upheld the conviction of former President Lula in the Guarujá triplex case. "The only possible outcome for the STJ was the annulment of the sentence that convicted Lula and his outright acquittal," Dilma emphasized.
According to the president, the Court "missed the opportunity to do justice, break with arbitrariness, and give the country an example of impartiality and courage."
"Instead of restoring the primacy of law and reason, the court upheld an unjust conviction. It ignored all the arguments presented by the defense and maintained the politically motivated conviction of an innocent man," he emphasized.
Check out the full note:
"The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) missed an opportunity to do justice, break with arbitrariness, and give the country an example of impartiality and courage. Instead of restoring the primacy of law and reason, the court upheld an unjust conviction. It ignored all the arguments presented by the defense and maintained the political conviction of an innocent man."
He disregarded the fact that former President Lula was convicted without evidence for possessing an apartment that never belonged to him. In convicting him at first instance, the then-judge, now Minister Sérgio Moro, admitted in the sentence the absence of official acts on the part of the former president, and resorted to the esoteric claim of "indeterminate acts."
He ignored the fact that, since it had not been proven that Lula had benefited from any type of bribery, he could not be convicted of money laundering either, as happened. These are related acts, and therefore, one cannot exist without the other.
The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) accepted as credible the statement of a person accused of corruption who, without presenting any kind of evidence, used the plea bargain solely to obtain his freedom as a reward.
Strictly speaking, just one of these objections presented by the defense would be enough to invalidate the sentence, annul the trial, and free Lula from an illegal imprisonment. The various courts, at different levels, disregarded them, always anticipating or postponing their decisions for their own convenience. In doing so, they prevented Lula from running for president. Now, they are preventing his freedom, as it would not be surprising if the trial regarding the Atibaia property were also expedited and conducted in record time by the TRF4 (Regional Federal Court of the 4th Region).
It is clear that the reduction of the prison sentence is a concession that does not eliminate or even mitigate the brutal injustice committed against Lula. The only acceptable outcome in yesterday's trial was the annulment of the sentence that convicted Lula. His pure and simple acquittal. Lula is innocent, and innocent people should not serve sentences.
We will continue fighting, in every possible way, for Lula's full freedom and the restoration of all his rights as a citizen.
#LulaBook
DILMA ROUSSEFF