Lula charged by federal judge with obstruction

The obstruction charges brought by the Federal Prosecution Service against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former Senator Delcídio do Amaral, and five others were accepted Friday (Jul. 29) by a federal judge. Those charged are being accused of interfering in investigations under Operation Car Wash.

The decision turns Lula and Delcídio into defendants, along with former André Esteves, of BTG Bank; Diogo Ferreira, Delcídio's former cabinet chief; businessman José Carlos Bumlai; his son Maurício Bumlai; and lawyer Edson Ribeiro.

All the above have been accused of attempting to stop former Petrobras International Director Nestor Cerveró from signing a plea bargain agreement with investigators in Operation Car Wash.

Last week, the Federal Prosecution Service had reiterated the allegations against the charged, previously charged by Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot, but Justice Teori Zavascki of the Supreme Court understood that the alleged attempt to obstruct justice took place in the federal capital, for which reason he submitted the case to a federal judge of Brasília, who accepted the charges.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira