Brazil's Popular Leader Lula Convicted: a Guide to What's Next

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, one of the most popular leaders the country has ever had, was sentenced to nine and half years for graft and money-laundering on July 12. If his conviction is upheld by an appeals court, he will be barred from running for the nation’s top job. Latest opinion polls show him as the front-runner in the 2018 presidential election.

Sergio Moro, the lead judge in the so-called Carwash corruption investigation, said Lula received undue benefits from OAS, a construction company, and tried to hide his ownership of a beachside apartment, including an upgrade of the same property. However, the judge did not send Lula to prison immediately, allowing him to appeal in freedom.