Brazilian prosecutors who indicted Lula da Silva schemed to prevent his party from winning

[Judi Lynn]

6. Monday Guardian:Brazil reels at claims judge who jailed Lula collaborated with prosecutors

Leaked cellphone chats published by the Intercept suggest Sérgio Moro, now justice minister, steered case against ex-president

Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro

Mon 10 Jun 2019 13.46 EDT

Brazil has been rocked by allegations that a prominent judge repeatedly collaborated with prosecutors during high-profile corruption investigations – including the controversial case that imprisoned former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

According to the Intercept, Sérgio Moro gave prosecutors strategic advice, criticism and tips during the sprawling corruption investigation known as Operation Car Wash that jailed hundreds of executives, politicians and middlemen.

Prosecutors also allegedly discussed strategies to block a newspaper’s attempts to interview Lula during last year’s election campaign, according to the Intercept, which published cellphone chats it said it had received from an anonymous source.

Opinion polls had indicated that Lula was likely to win the 2018 presidential poll until he was imprisoned and forced out of the race. His last-minute replacement, Fernando Haddad was beaten by the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro – who then appointed Moro as justice minister.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/10/brazil-lula-sergio-moro-judge-collaborated-with-prosecutors