Brazil's Lula faces new indiction for corruption

The federal police here on Thursday indicted former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in another case of corruption and money laundering.

The case involves donations made by construction company Odebrecht to the Lula Institute, which the former president had founded after he left office, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the federal police, the donations to the institute, which were made between December 2013 and March 2014 and amounted to 4 million reals (1 million US dollars), originated from an Odebrecht account habitually used to pay bribes.

Lula, along with the Lula Institute's head Paulo Okamoto, and former Finance Minister Antonio Palocci was also charged with corruption and money laundering in the case.

Lula's defence lawyers said that the accusations do not make any sense, as the supposed bribes were paid when Lula had not been in office for years.

Lula's last term ended in 2010.

His attorneys said that the donations were normal and regular, with an identified origin and not related to any commitment.

They further stressed that the donations were made not to Lula, but the institute, which is an organisation separate from the ex-president and aims at preserving objects which are part of Brazil's cultural heritage.

Lula was found guilty of corruption in other cases and started serving a sentence since April 2018. However, he was released earlier in November this year after Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruled that defendants in Brazil will only be arrested after their last appeal is settled.

Lula currently still has appeals to the Superior Court of Justice and STF to be judged.