Brazil's court freezes ex-president assets amid corruption scandal

  21 July 2017    Read: 862
Brazil's court freezes ex-president assets amid corruption scandal
A Brazilian court has granted a freezing order on assets of Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after he was found guilty of corruption and money laundering, media reported.
According to the BBC broadcaster, Judge Sergio Moro on Wednesday ordered to freeze approximately $200,000 on Lula da Silva’s bank account.

Moro also said on his Twitter that Lula da Silva still had millions on his bank accounts.

On July 12, Lula da Silva, who was in office between 2003 and 2010, was found guilty of receiving a luxury three-story beachfront apartment from Brazilian OAS construction company in exchange for assisting the OAS in getting beneficial contracts from the state-owned oil company Petrobras. The case is the first of five against him.

According to the court sentence, Lula da Silva was deprived from the right to occupy any state office for the 19-year period and was convicted to 9.5 years in prison over corruption and money laundering charges. However, Lula da Silva is not yet imprisoned as the sentence will not be enforced until the appeal process finishes.

On July 14, Brazilian Workers' Party (PT) threatened to refuse to recognize the results of 2018 presidential election unless Lula da Silva, who was supposed to run for the party, is allowed to enter the race.

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