Brazil: Judge rules ex-President Lula released from jail

A Brazilian judge on Friday ordered the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from prison.

According to Al Jazeera, the ruling comes after the Supreme Court order to end the mandatory imprisonment of convicts after they lose their first appeal.

Federal police have to comply with Friday's order "with urgency", the order said.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known as 'Lula', was jailed in 2018 for eight years and 10 months in corruption cases. He was found guilty of taking bribes from engineering firms in return for government contracts.

The controversial Supreme Court decision on Thursday could benefit dozens of other high-profile prisoners and thousands of other convicts.

Brazil's Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Friday that the Supreme Court ruling should be respected.

Lula, Brazil's first working-class president, served as the country's leader between 2003 and 2010. He left the office with sky-high popularity ratings thanks to social policies that raised millions from poverty. He was favoured to win the 2018 presidential election, but his imprisonment barred him from running.