Brazil’s ex-president convicted of corruption, sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been convicted of corruption charges and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison.
The 71-year-old will however remain free pending an appeal.
Lula denied accusations of having received a bribe in a graft scandal linked to state oil company Petrobras.
He said the trial was politically motivated, and has denied any wrongdoing.
The case is one of five charges levelled against him.
Lula served as President of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, and had hinted at running again in the 2018 elections.
On Wednesday, a judge found him guilty of accepting bribes from engineering firm OAS in the form of a beachfront apartment in return for his help in winning contracts with the state oil company.
