Former Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been convicted on corruption charges in the first of five graft trials he faced.
Inacio, who ruled the country for two terms, was sentenced to nine and half years in prison on Wednesday but would remain free on appeal.
Lula was Brazil’s first working-class president who left office six years ago with an 83 per cent approval rating.
During his time as President, the former union leader won global admiration for transformative social policies that helped reduce stinging inequality in the country.
The Wednesday’s ruling stands as the highest-profile conviction yet in the sweeping corruption investigation that rattled Brazil for over three years.
The Presiding judge, justice Sergio Moro found Lula guilty of accepting 1.2 million dollars (3.7 million reais) worth of bribes from engineering firm OAS SA.
According to the prosecutor, a company spent the amount refurbishing a beach apartment for the President in return for his help to win contracts with state oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro.
