Brazil's Lula found not guilty of obstruction of justice
Updated 1:26 pm CDT, Thursday, July 12, 2018
SAO PAULO (AP) — Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was found not guilty of obstruction of justice on Thursday, in one of several cases against the jailed politician.
The decision is not entirely surprising since the prosecutors' office had, in the end, asked the judge to acquit da Silva, saying it had not found evidence that the former president was involved in attempts to interfere with a massive corruption investigation involving state-run oil company Petrobras.
The initial indictment accused da Silva and others of trying to buy the silence of a former Petrobras executive who was implicated in the scandal.
But Judge Ricardo Augusto Soares Leite ruled Thursday that the evidence did not present a clear picture of what actually happened. He added that the testimony of witnesses against da Silva, including some cooperating with the state, was not sufficiently credible.
More:
https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Brazil-s-Lula-found-not-guilty-of-obstruction-of-13069925.php
LBN:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142107915
