13 July 2017, 01:35 GMT
MEXICO CITY, July 14 (Sputnik) – According to the court sentence, announced Wednesday, Lula de Silva, who was in office between 2003 and 2010, was deprived from the right to occupy any state office for the 19-year period and was convicted to 9.5 years in prison over corruption and money laundering charges. However, de Silva is not yet imprisoned as the sentence will not be enforced until the appeal process finishes.
“We will not recognize the electoral process where one of the major Brazilian leaders is impeded from participating. The election without Silva is a fraud,” Hoffmann said, as quoted by the party’s statement.
Hoffmann stressed that Workers Party condemned the decision on Silva’s sentence and regarded it as lacking evidence.
