Court postpones questioning and allows Lula to continue his campaign caravan.
Following a request from the former president's defense, Judge Vallisney de Souza Oliveira of the Federal Court of Brasília postponed Lula's deposition in the Operation Zelotes case to November 3rd; the previous date, October 30th, is scheduled for the closing event of his campaign tour in Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte; with the postponement, Lula will not need to interrupt his trip.
Minas 247 - Judge Vallisney de Souza Oliveira, of the Federal Court of Brasília, accepted a request from former President Lula's defense to postpone his testimony in the Operation Zelotes case.
The former president began his campaign tour of the state of Minas Gerais on Monday evening, the 23rd. His testimony was originally scheduled for October 30th, the date also planned for the closing event of the trip in Belo Horizonte. Now, with the postponement, the interrogation will take place on November 3rd.
In December 2016, the Federal Court of Brasília accepted a complaint from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office accusing Lula of interfering in the purchase of 36 Gripen fighter jets from Saab by the Brazilian government and in the extension of tax incentives for vehicle manufacturers through Provisional Measure 627. The events occurred between 2013 and 2015, when Lula was no longer president.
According to the defense, the accusation by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office is "yet another frivolous accusation against the former president and his family" and that it "is part of a tactic to try to deconstruct Lula's image and harm his political career."