Supreme Court strips Ex-President Lula da Silva from new office

Brazil's top judge has ruled the former president Lula da Silva to be put out of his new ministerial post to allow investigations for his corruption case.

Supreme court justice Gilmar Mendes reasoned that Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva's appointment as the president's Chief of Staff appeared to be strategically made to prevent him from further charges of graft and corruption. The Guardian reported that with Lula's appointment, he will be immuned from investigation and that only the supreme court can investigate him. This also means that Lula will not face the judges and his impeding case on the biggest corruption scandal with state-run oil company, Petrobas.  

Justice Mendes also said in his ruling that, "Iit would be plausible to conclude that the appointment and subsequent swearing-in could constitute fraud of the constitution."  But he also announced that the ruling to suspend Lula can still be appealed before a plenary session of the court.

But Lula did not seem daunted by Mendes' decision. He attended a rally in Sao Paulo's central Paulista Avenue, to meet his tens of thousands of Workers' Party supporters where he spoke of his promise that his reestablishment in the British government would bring a greater emphasis on healing the recession-striken economy to growth and creating more jobs.

Lula said in a report by Belfast Telegraph, "Next week, if there is no impediment, I will start to proudly serve President Dilma and the Brazilian people. I am going back to help President Dilma do what must be done - re-establish peace and hope. There is no room for hate in this country."

Lula in his 20-minute speech, he also expressed his plans to run in the 2018 Presidential elections. The Australian reported that Lula said, "We have a long time before 2018 to turn around the fortunes of this country...There will be no coup!"

More political tensions can be expected among the Justice and the leftist government. Moreover, the nation is divided between the supporters and protesters of Lula and President Dilma Rousseff. Just last Sunday, more than one million people gathered into the streets of several cities to protest and demand Rousseff's resignation. Committee chairman Rogerio Rosso said, "The large street demonstrations are echoing here...Political instability is growing."

This March 29, there will be a meeting by President Rousseff's coalition party, the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), to decide whether to break with her government and seek her impeachment. 

Tags

Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Dilma Rousseff

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