Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva turned himself in to police on Saturday to end a day-long standoff and begin serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. If I didn’t believe in the law, I wouldn’t have started a political party. Workers Party chief Gleisi Hoffmann pleaded with supporters to let him exit. Under Brazilian electoral law, a candidate is forbidden from running for office for eight years after being found guilty of a crime. “Those who condemn me without proof know that I am innocent and I governed honestly,” Lula said in a video message to his supporters.

Source: The Irish Times April 08, 2018 06:56 UTC