Brazil's Lula mounts new appeal against prison sentence

Brazil's former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made yet another appeal against a 12 year prison sentence for corruption that could knock him out of an attempted comeback election. Lawyers for Lula filed the appeal late Tuesday, citing what they said were 38 omissions, 16 contradictions and five areas lacking clarity in the sentencing. The faults raised should "result in the annulment of the whole process or acquittal of Lula," the lawyers state. The sentence of 12 years and one month was handed down on January 24 by an appeals court in Porto Alegre when it rejected Lula's appeal against his conviction for corruption and money laundering and even increased the original prison term. That same three-judge panel will now consider the attempt to question the sentence on technical grounds. Lula, who was Brazil's most popular president in history during 2003-2010, was convicted in July 2017 by the judge leading the giant Operation Car Wash anti-corruption crusade. Car Wash investigators have uncovered a web of kickbacks, bribes and slush funds involving high-level politicians from almost every party and throughout the business world. Lula says he is the victim of a political plot to prevent him seeking election in October. He currently leads strongly in opinion polls.