Lula 's Brazil presidential run in doubt after conviction upheld
Luiz Inacio Lula
PORTO ALEGRE  Brazil (Reuters) - A Brazilian appeals court unanimously upheld the corruption conviction of  former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  on Wednesday and added to  his  sentence  a major blow to the popular politicianâs plans to run again for the presidency this year.
All three appellate court judges voted to uphold  Lula âs convictions on taking bribes and money laundering. They also added 2-1/2 years to  his  sentence  condemning  him  to 12 years in prison.  Lula   Brazilâs first working-class leader  so far remains free pending future appeals.
 Lula   72  could now be ineligible to stand for election under Brazilâs âFicha Limpaâ or âClean Recordâ law  which bans political candidates whose convictions have been upheld by an appellate court.
 Lula âs exclusion from the October election would radically alter the political landscape ahead of a campaign in which  he  is the early favorite  with 36 percent of voter preferences according to pollster Datafolha. That is double the percentage of  his  nearest rival  the far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro  who has been energized by anti-Lula sentiment.
But  Lula  still has options. An electoral court must make the final ruling on a candidacy  and would only do so once a candidate had registered.
 Lula  can appeal Wednesdayâs decision by the appeals court in Porto Alegre to Brazilâs top appeals court or to the Supreme Court to delay a final ruling  possibly avoiding jail and stringing the process out long enough to register  his  candidacy by the Aug. 15 deadline.
At a nighttime rally in a central Sao Paulo plaza   Lula  stood atop a sound truck and rallied supporters  blasting the ruling as a âlieâ  and strongly maintained  his  innocence.
 Lula  said that if the three judges could âshow me the crime I committed  I would give up trying to be a candidate.â
âI want the judges to know that I am not worried like they think I should be â  Lula  said. âThey cannot jail ideas or hope.â
Opponents of  Lula   meanwhile  celebrated on Sao Pauloâs main avenue with a giant blown-up figure of the ex-president dressed as a prison convict.
 Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  speaks at the metallurgical trade union while the Brazilian court decides on  his  appeal against a corruption conviction that could bar  him  from running in the 2018 presidential race  in Sao Bernardo do Campo  Brazil January 24  2018. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto
 Lula  is one of scores of powerful politicians and businessmen caught up in sweeping corruption probes that have wracked the Brazilian establishment since 2014.
 He  faces six more indictments in corruption cases ranging from receiving bribes from engineering firm Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] to obstructing justice and trafficking  his  influence to obtain government decisions favoring the auto industry.
 He  is among over 100 people convicted in the âCar Washâ investigation  the most sprawling of Brazilâs numerous probes. It focuses on graft involving oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro  known as Petrobras   and other state-run companies.
 Lula  was convicted of corruption and money laundering last year for accepting a beachside apartment from an engineering firm vying for contracts with Petrobras.
Prosecutors said the apartment and its refurbishing was a bribe worth 3.7 million reais ($1.1 million).  Lula  maintains  he  never owned the penthouse apartment  criticizing prosecutors for what  Lula âs lawyers called a reliance on the plea bargain testimony of one witness  businessman Leo Pinheiro.
PORTO ALEGRE  Brazil (Reuters) - A Brazilian appeals court unanimously upheld the corruption conviction of  [TGT] on Wednesday and added to   [TGT]   sentence  a major blow to the popular politicianâs plans to run again for the presidency this year.
All three appellate court judges voted to uphold   [TGT]  âs convictions on taking bribes and money laundering. They also added 2-1/2 years to  his  sentence  condemning   [TGT]   to 12 years in prison.  Lula   Brazilâs first working-class leader  so far remains free pending future appeals.
 Lula   72  could now be ineligible to stand for election under Brazilâs âFicha Limpaâ or âClean Recordâ law  which bans political candidates whose convictions have been upheld by an appellate court.
  [TGT]  âs exclusion from the October election would radically alter the political landscape ahead of a campaign in which   [TGT]   is the early favorite  with 36 percent of voter preferences according to pollster Datafolha. That is double the percentage of   [TGT]   nearest rival  the far-right congressman and former army captain Jair Bolsonaro  who has been energized by  [TGT]  sentiment.
But   [TGT] still has options. An electoral court must make the final ruling on a candidacy  and would only do so once a candidate had registered.
  [TGT] can appeal Wednesdayâs decision by the appeals court in Porto Alegre to Brazilâs top appeals court or to the Supreme Court to delay a final ruling  possibly avoiding jail and stringing the process out long enough to register   [TGT]   candidacy by the Aug. 15 deadline.
At a nighttime rally in a central Sao Paulo plaza    [TGT] stood atop a sound truck and rallied supporters  blasting the ruling as a âlieâ  and strongly maintained   [TGT]   innocence.
  [TGT] said that if the three judges could âshow me the crime I committed  I would give up trying to be a candidate.â
âI want the judges to know that I am not worried like they think I should be â   [TGT] said. âThey cannot jail ideas or hope.â
Opponents of   [TGT] meanwhile  celebrated on Sao Pauloâs main avenue with a giant blown-up figure of the ex-president dressed as a prison convict.
  [TGT] speaks at the metallurgical trade union while the Brazilian court decides on   [TGT]   appeal against a corruption conviction that could bar   [TGT]   from running in the 2018 presidential race  in Sao Bernardo do Campo  Brazil January 24  2018. REUTERS/Leonardo Benassatto
  [TGT] is one of scores of powerful politicians and businessmen caught up in sweeping corruption probes that have wracked the Brazilian establishment since 2014.
  [TGT]   faces six more indictments in corruption cases ranging from receiving bribes from engineering firm Odebrecht [ODBES.UL] to obstructing justice and trafficking   [TGT]   influence to obtain government decisions favoring the auto industry.
  [TGT]   is among over 100 people convicted in the âCar Washâ investigation  the most sprawling of Brazilâs numerous probes. It focuses on graft involving oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro  known as Petrobras   and other state-run companies.
  [TGT] was convicted of corruption and money laundering last year for accepting a beachside apartment from an engineering firm vying for contracts with Petrobras.
Prosecutors said the apartment and its refurbishing was a bribe worth 3.7 million reais ($1.1 million).   [TGT] maintains   [TGT]   never owned the penthouse apartment  criticizing prosecutors for what  Lula âs lawyers called a reliance on the plea bargain testimony of one witness  businessman Leo Pinheiro.