A Supreme Court judge in Brazil has annulled ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s corruption convictions, opening a path to a possible run for the presidency in 2022.
He was convicted following an investigation into a huge bribery scandal, dubbed Operation Car Wash.
But Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin said the court that had convicted Lula had lacked the necessary jurisdiction.
The prosecutor-general’s office said it would appeal against the annulment.
Why does it matter?
Lula, who governed Brazil between 2003 and 2010, is a towering figure in left-wing politics in Brazil and beyond.
He is also the most senior politician to have been convicted as part of Operation Car Wash, the corruption scandal which brought down dozens of politician and business leaders across the country but which by some – including Lula – has been denounced as a political witch hunt.
In 2018, Lula was the front-runner for the presidency even though he was in jail serving a 12-year corruption sentence.
After his conviction was upheld on appeal, Lula was banned from the presidential race.
The ban came just over a month before the first round of the election and the man who replaced Lula as the candidate for the Workers’ Party, Fernando Haddad, did not have the same recognition or popularity and was defeated by the far-right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro.
Justice Fachin’s decision could clear the way for Lula to run for the presidency in 2022, where his main rival would likely be Mr Bolsonaro, who is widely expected to run for a second term in office.
An opinion poll conducted by Ipec on Sunday suggested Lula would gain more votes than Mr Bolsonaro – the only politician to do so.