Jailed Former Brazilian President Lula Is in Love and Planning His Wedding

Brazil’s imprisoned ex-president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, still loved by large parts of the population, plans to remarry if he is released from prison, a former minister said.

Lula, 73, a widower for the past two years, has been sentenced to more than two decades behind bars in two separate corruption cases.

He has already spent a year in jail but could be eligible for “semi-open” incarceration later this year after an appeals court reduced one of his sentences.

“He is in love and the first thing he wants to do after getting out of prison will be to marry,” Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira, who held cabinet posts in finance and science, wrote on Facebook – reportedly to the dismay of Lula’s aides.

Last week, Bresser-Pereira visited Lula in his prison in Curitiba, southern Brazil. “He is in very good shape, physically and psychologically,” the ex-minister said.

According to the website of the weekly magazine Época, the prospective bride-to-be is Rosângela da Silva, a sociologist aged about 40. She works for the public company that runs a major hydroelectric plant.

They have had a longstanding friendship, after meeting during the 1990s.

Época columnist Guilherme Amado said Monday on its website that the romance began before Lula was incarcerated, but his entourage had kept it secret and did not appreciate the revelation on Facebook.

Lula’s wife of 43 years, Maria Leticia, died in February 2017.

The charismatic Lula led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, earning the gratitude of millions of Brazilians for redistributing wealth to haul them out of poverty.

Voter surveys showed he remained broadly popular despite his conviction.

He was first found guilty on charges of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company to get lucrative deals with state oil firm Petrobras.

The conviction came as part of the wide-ranging “Car Wash” anti-corruption probe that has caught up several South American politicians.

An appeals court last month cut Lula’s sentence from 12 years to eight years and 10 months, meaning he could qualify for the “semi-open” prison regime that would enable him to work outside during the day, returning at night to his cell.

But that depends on the outcome of Lula’s appeal of the second conviction handed down in February.

In that case, Lula was sentenced to almost 13 years for accepting renovation work by two construction companies on a farmhouse in exchange for ensuring they won contracts with Petrobras.

He has denied all the charges, arguing they were politically motivated to prevent him competing in elections last year won by far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro.

Mercopress

Tags:

You May Also Like

Trash in the state of Ceará - Photo: Maristela Crispim

The Billions Stolen by Brazilian Politicians Are Hurting the Country’s Poorest

Brazil is currently facing its worst recession in decades while corruption allegations consume the ...

Corruption Is Not Growing, Just the Awareness of It, Says Brazil’s Official

It is the judgment of Brazil’s Federal Sub-Comptroller General, Jorge Hage, that the choice ...

House representative Jair Bolsonaro being carried by fans

Fans Call Him Myth, Others Call Him Clown. Bolsonaro Might Become Brazil’s Donald Trump

Jair Messias Bolsonaro, a far-right candidate and congressman, has launched an improbable campaign to ...

Lula talks to the crowd at Avenida Paulista - Ricardo Stuckert/Instituto Lula

Despite Street Protests Brazil President Goes Ahead with Pension Reform

  Brazil’s president Michel Temer and senior lawmakers are still unwavering in their support ...

Burning the trees to raise cattle in the Brazilian Amazon

The Price of Fighting Land-grabbing in the Amazon Can Be Your Life

Maria Marcia Elpidia de Melo hasn’t seen her son Elmiro for more than six ...

The real was adopted by Brazil in 1996 in place of the cruzeiro

Trump Accuses Brazil of Manipulating Its Currency. Once Again He Is Wrong

President Donald Trump slapped new tariffs on Brazil and Argentina after accusing them of ...

Brazilian president, Michel Temer - Marcos Corrêa/PR

Brazil Supreme Sends Tape Used to Incriminate President to Be Probed in the US

Brazil’s President Michel Temer has asked the Supreme Court to proceed with an investigation ...

Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro posing with his hands folded into the shape of guns - Agência Câmara

Jair Bolsonaro and His Illusion that Brazil Can Have Politics Without Politicians

‘Jair Bolsonaro (without a party)’ is how the press refers to the Brazilian president ...

5% of Brazil’s GDP Goes on Red Tape and Then You Have Corruption

A survey by the Rio de Janeiro American Chamber of Commerce, in Brazil, found ...