Federal court in Brasília acquits Lula da Silva in US$1.3 million alleged bribery case

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Federal Court in Brasilia has acquitted former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his former chief of staff Gilberto Carvalho, and five other people accused by federal prosecutors of favoring automakers through the issuance of Provisional Measure 471 of 2009.

According to the ruling by Judge Frederico Botelho de Barros Viana, the investigation did not “convincingly show” how Lula and Carvalho “participated in the alleged criminal context.

The accusation against Lula stems from Operation ‘Zelotes’ and was filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) in 2017.

According to the MPF, the company Marcondes and Mautoni Empreendimentos, which represented Caoa (Hyundai) and MMC (Mitsubishi do Brasil), would have offered Lula and Carvalho R$6 (US$1.3) million in exchange for the issuance of MP 471, which extended tax incentives to automakers present in the Brazilian North, Northeast and Midwest regions.

Last May, the prosecution changed its position and requested the acquittal of the Worker’s Party PT members.

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