Brazilian Ex-President Lula Da Silva Reportedly Refuses to Turn in to Police

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not turn himself in to the police despite the recent court decision to jail the country’s ex-leader for alleged bribery, local media reported Friday.

The Porto Alegre regional court issued an arrest warrant for Lula earlier in the day. The 72-year-old ex-president was given time until 20:00 GMT on Friday to turn himself in to start serving his 12-year sentence for bribery.

READ MORE: Ex-Brazil Leader Lula to Run for President, From Jail If Needed — Lawmaker

Lula decided against going to the Curitiba police in the country’s south, and to remain in Sao Bernardo do Campo with thousands of his supporters, according to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

Lula, who served as the country’s president from 2003 through 2010, was sentenced to 9.5 years in prison last summer for allegedly accepting a luxury apartment from a construction firm in return for political favors, an accusation he denied.

An appeals court upheld the ruling in January and increased Lula's jail term to 12 years and a month. This week, the Supreme Court voted six to five to order him jailed, months ahead of this October's presidential election where he used to be one of the most popular presidential hopefuls.