The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) again denies Lula's defense appeal for his release.
Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (STJ) unanimously denied an appeal by former President Lula seeking the right to appeal his conviction in freedom in the Guarujá (SP) triplex case. In his appeal to the STJ, Lula's defense highlighted 17 points that allegedly violated the process leading to his imprisonment or that demonstrate the illegality of the measure.
By Felipe Pontes – Reporter for Agência Brasil
The Fifth Panel of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) unanimously denied an appeal by former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeking to guarantee his right to appeal his conviction in the Guarujá (SP) triplex case while remaining free.
The request had already been denied by the rapporteur, Minister Felix Fischer, on June 11. In a session held at the beginning of the month, Ministers Jorge Mussi, Reynaldo Soares da Fonseca, Ribeiro Dantas and Joel Ilan Paciornik followed him. The judgment (collegiate decision) is scheduled to be published tomorrow (10).
In their petition to the Superior Court of Justice (STJ), Lula's defense highlighted 17 points that were allegedly violated in the process that resulted in the former president's imprisonment, or that attest to the illegality of the measure. The lawyers further argued that Lula's rights are being seriously curtailed by his being prevented from participating in the electoral process.
The ministers of the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) understood that there was no urgency in granting Lula's appeal in the court the so-called suspensive effect, where the execution of the convict's sentence is suspended while the appeal to the higher court is not judged.
Lula has been imprisoned since April 7 at the Federal Police (PF) headquarters in Curitiba, where he is serving a 12-year and one-month sentence for the crimes of passive corruption and money laundering, imposed by the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF4), the second instance of the Federal Justice system.
Lula's special appeal to the STJ has already had its admissibility assessed by the TRF4 and still needs to be analyzed by the Superior Court.