Supreme Court to decide if lower court judge retains jurisdiction on Lula probe

The Supreme Court (STF) will decide Thursday (Mar. 31) if Federal Judge Sérgio Moro, who presides over the Operation Car Wash investigations at a federal lower court, will retain jurisdiction over the Car Wash spin-off investigations targeting former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Last week, Justice Teori Zavascki, the judge-rapporteur for the case at the Supreme Court, ruled that Moro should suspend the investigations involving Lula, arguing that the Supreme Court has the authority to decide if the former president, who has recently been appointed Chief of Staff, but has been barred from taking office, is entitled to the special jurisdiction privileges granted to members of cabinet, and if he should be prosecuted by the Supreme Court.

In his ruling, granted at the request of the Attorney-General's Office (AGU), Zavascki also prohibited the disclosure of wiretapped telephone conversations involving Lula and President Dilma Rousseff, and gave Moro ten days to provide clarifications on the disclosures.

Lula is under probe over alleged irregularities with purchasing a beachfront triplex apartment and renovating a country house he has regularly visited with his family in São Paulo state.

Translated by Mayra Borges