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.
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.