On the same day a judge ruled in favor of releasing ex-President Lula da Silva from prison, another judge has blocked the ruling. Da Silva began serving a 12-year prison sentence in April for a corruption conviction.
Chief Justice of the TRF-4 appeals court Carlos Eduardo Thompson Flores granted the request from prosecutors to keep Lula in prison, blocking an earlier Sunday ruling from Appeals Judge Rogerio Favreto. Judge Favreto of the Fourth Regional Federal Court in the southern city of Porto Alegre had granted a habeas corpus decision for Lula, citing a lack of legal grounds to keep the ex-president in prison.
The contradictory rulings come just three months after Lula's arrest was ordered by the Brazilian Supreme Court. He had been serving a 12-year sentence for his alleged involvement in a major corruption case.
Corruption, bribery or power abuse: DW takes a look back at some prominent world leaders who have been convicted in the past five years.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil
Lula has been found guilty of corruption and money laundering for his involvement in the "Car Wash" scandal, an extensive corruption probe that uncovered widespread bribery among Brazil's elites. Lula, who held the presidential office between 2003 and 2010, was sentenced to 12 years in jail. He still has a chance to appeal the ruling.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Cristina Fernandez, Argentina
Cristina Fernandez, who served as Argentina's first lady and then as its president from 2007 to 2015, was indicted on corruption charges in 2016. She was accused of granting public construction contracts to favored companies. She denies any wrongdoing. Fernandez is now seeking a political comeback, which some observers say is a bid to seek immunity against the charges.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. La Valle
Park Geun-hye, South Korea
Following months of public outcry over a wave of corruption allegations, South Korea's first female president Park Geun-hye was removed from office. She has been charged with extortion, bribery and abuse of power. Park was impeached in December 2016.
Image: Getty Images/A.Young-Joon
Ehud Olmert, Israel
The 71-year-old Olmert, who was premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of corruption in 2014. He entered prison in February 2016 but was was released in early July 2017 after his sentence was shortened. He was the first former prime minister of Israel to go to prison. Benjamin Netanyahu was his successor.
Image: Reuters/O. Zwigenberg
Adrian Nastase, Romania
Adrian Nastase was convicted of corruption charges in 2012 and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment term. At the time when the sentence was pronounced, he was the only head of government sentenced to prison in the 23 years following the Romanian Revolution. He was Romania's prime minister from 2004-2006.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/
Charles G. Taylor, Liberia
Charles G. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2012 for his role in atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. Taylor was the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. He was Liberia's president from 1997-2003.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. van Weel
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If Favreto's ruling had stood it would have allowed Lula to leave prison while he awaits the result of an appeal on his conviction. It would have been a major victory for the former president, who has maintained his innocence and is hoping to run in the October presidential elections.
Brazilian federal judge Sergio Moro had threatened to block the move, saying to reporters that Judge Favreto "did not have the authority" to grant Lula's freedom. Appeals judge Joao Gebran Neto echoed Moro's assertion and blocked the Favreto ruling, forbidding federal police from releasing the ex-president.
The former president's legal team had argued that Lula should be allowed to remain free until all legal appeals in the case had been exhausted.
A June survey of voters confirmed Lula's persistent popularity. According to polling agency "Datafolha," Lula was leading the presidential election race with 31 percent of likely voters.
The former president held a 13 percent advantage over his closest opponent, conservative candidate Jair Bolsonaro. But Brazilians were also ambivalent, with 20 percent having no preferred candidate.
