The ruling marked a stunning fall for Lula, Brazil's first working-class president who left office six years ago with an 83-percent approval rating. Lula's legal team has previously said they would appeal any guilty ruling. But he would be barred from office if his guilty verdict is upheld by an appeals court, which is expected to take at least eight months to rule. Couto said he expected Lula's guilty verdict to be upheld by the appeals court. She and her backers say her ouster was actually a 'coup' orchestrated by her vice president and now President Michel Temer, who himself faces corruption charges.

Source: bd News24 July 12, 2017 18:00 UTC