Brazil's Ex-President Lula To Be Put On Trial For Bribery

FILE – In this March 5, 2016 file photo, Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva greets supporters who gathered outside his residence in Sao Bernardo do Campo, in the greater Sao Paulo area, Brazil. A Brazilian judge has ruled that Silva will stand trial on charges of money laundering and corruption. Judge Sergio Moro said Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 there is enough evidence to start a judicial process against Silva, his wife and six others in a widening corruption probe centered on the country’s huge state-run oil company, Petrobras. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former president of Brazil and darling of the Workers Party, will face trial for his alleged involvement in the bribery and kickbacks scandal that has engulfed the South American country.
Prosecutors allege that the popular ex-president, widely known as ‘Lula’, accepted a $1 million bribe. This is a charge that he denies.

This case is part of the investigation into the on-going dealings of oil company Petrobras , which has taken ahold of the entire Brazilian elite. Governments have fallen as Judge Sergio Moro – chief prosecutor of the ‘car wash’ case –  looks to expunge the country of corruption.
Only last week, Dilma Rousseff’s was impeached from the presidency for her less-than candid approach to public financing. Rousseff was Lula’s immediate successor and was seen as close to him. There were even attempts to bring him back into government as Chief of Staff of the Presidency earlier this year.
Lula sensationally brought the Workers’ party to power in 2002. He assumed the highest position in the land after a rambunctious career as a unionist and activist. His unconventional style unsettled political elites. He could be occasionally spotted wearing Che Guevara t-shirts.