Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has assured thousands of his supporters that he would turn himself into police, but also declared his innocence and argued his corruption condemnation saying it was simply a way for enemies to make sure he doesn't run, and possibly win, the Brazilian re-election in October.
Vou chegar ao delegado e dizer que estou à disposição. A história vai provar que quem cometeu o crime foi o delegado, o juiz que me acusou e o MP.
— Lula pelo Brasil (@LulapeloBrasil) April 7, 2018
"Their dream is that I will not be a (presidential) candidate. The other one is my imprisonment. I imagine Veja's (Brazilian paper) exertion. They'll have multiple orgasms," Lula has posted on his Twitter page.
Um sonho de consumo deles é que eu não seja candidato. O outro é a foto da minha prisão. Imagino a tesão da Veja. Eles vão ter orgasmos múltiplos. #OcupaSaoBernardo
— Lula pelo Brasil (@LulapeloBrasil) April 7, 2018
An appeals court upheld the ruling in January and has 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 the presidential election, set for October.
#LulaValeALuta #OcupaSaoBernardo Lula e Dilma agora em São Bernardo.
— Jornalistas Livres (@J_LIVRES) April 7, 2018
Foto @ManuelaDavila pic.twitter.com/zDYOS1HFWO
Lula failed to surrender voluntarily to the police before the deadline and spent Friday night at a metalworkers’ union building, which, according to media reports, was surrounded by thousands of his supporters, the Globo broadcaster reported.
“Lula não irá para o matadouro de cabeça baixa”, afirma defesa https://t.co/FYdjXg8eZi pic.twitter.com/6xVAci92Qy
— PCdoB (@PCdoB_Oficial) April 6, 2018
Foto: Ricardo Stuckert pic.twitter.com/c5os05czif
— Lula pelo Brasil (@LulapeloBrasil) April 7, 2018
Vídeo: Ricardo Stuckert pic.twitter.com/h9WsCQQcVT
— Lula pelo Brasil (@LulapeloBrasil) April 6, 2018
Meanwhile, the Brazilian police stated that Lula's arrest was impossible under such security conditions and postponed it.
READ MORE: Brazil Police Postpone Lula's Arrest Until At Least Saturday
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. Lula denied the accusation.
While Lula is one of the most popular presidential hopefuls according to opinion polls, he is unable to run for president in the upcoming election.
