BRAZIL: Ex-president Lula appears in court in corruption case

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has appeared in court to testify over his alleged entanglement in a sprawling corruption scandal that has thrown the country’s political class into tumult. Lula, 71, is the highest-profile defendant in the “Operation Car Wash” probe into a multi-billion-dollar bribery scheme in which politicians and officials allegedly […]

Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has appeared in court to testify over his alleged entanglement in a sprawling corruption scandal that has thrown the country’s political class into tumult.

Lula, 71, is the highest-profile defendant in the “Operation Car Wash” probe into a multi-billion-dollar bribery scheme in which politicians and officials allegedly handed out public contracts in exchange for kickbacks. He is accused of allowing corruption to flourish between 2003-2010 during his two terms as president and of personally benefiting from the schemes, including receiving a beach apartment in return for helping the OAS construction firm win government contracts.

His testimony in the southern city of Curitiba was scheduled to begin at 2pm local time (17:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

The former president, whose supporters gathered outside the court hours before his arrival there, has repeatedly denied all charges.