Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: Former Brazilian President Charged With Corruption And Money Laundering

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva is currently battling more legal troubles. It is being reported that he will be facing corruption charges for his involvement in an alleged scheme.

According to FOX News Latino, Lula de Silva is facing his 3rd corruption charge for an alleged scheme involving the construction giant Odebrecht. A court Brasilia said that Silva was formally charged with interfering in a stste-run development bank to assure financing for a small firm owned by a nephew of his late first wife.

Federal investigators claim that Lula de Silva interfered in a state-run development bank BNDES to assure financing for a small form owned by a nephew of his late first wife. The charges against him and 10 other people, including Odebrecht, include corruption, money laundering influence trafficking and criminal organization.

Lula de Silva is a presidential hopeful for 2018 but with the news of these latest charges, the presidency may be out of reach.

Cristiano Zanin, Lula de Silva’s attorney, said in a press conference that he didn’t have access to the probe and that his client couldn’t have interfered because Brazil’s development bank only makes collegial decisions. He also dismissed the accusation made by prosecutors that speeches given by the popular politician were actually a disguise to channel bribes.

This charge is one of the many pending charges the former president is facing.

Sergio Moro, a judge hailed as a hero by adversaries of Silva’s Worker’s Party, ruled last month that the former president must stand trial on money laundering and corruption charges involving company-financed improvements at a beachfront property. Silva says that he never owned the property.

Silva will also stand trial in a separate case in which a former ally-turned-enemy senator accuses him of obstruction of justice in the sprawling scandal at state-run oil giant Petrobras.

There has been no respect to the former president's legal assurances," Silva's attorney said. "There is a will to keep Lula out of the 2018 presidential elections" via legal wrangling.