Ex-Brazilian president Lula da Silva agrees to surrender to police following corruption conviction

Veteran politician claims prosecution is politically motivated and orchestrated to prevent him from running for president in October’s election

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he will surrender to police, a day after defying a judge’s order to start serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.

Popularly known as "Lula", he has said his prosecution is politically motivated and has been orchestrated to prevent him from running for president in October’s election, which he was favourite to win.

The 72-year-old’s legal team lost a bid to stop him from going to prison, while he appeals his conviction, just minutes before the deadline for his arrest expired.

Judge Sergio Moro said Lula had to present himself on Friday evening. He was not to be handcuffed and would be given a special cell in the southern city of Curitiba, according to a court document.

The union building in an industrial suburb of Sao Paulo where Lula began his career as a labour leader was surrounded by thousands of supporters and members of his Workers Party wearing red shirts and waving red flags.

The crowds dissuaded police trying to arrest him after the deadline set by the judge. The police said they would not act during the night to seize Lula as negotiations proceeded on a suitable way to end the standoff.

The head of the Workers Party, senator Gleisi Hoffmann, said Lula would take part in a mass at the union headquarters to commemorate the birthday of his late wife Marisa Leticia.

He was convicted of taking bribes from an engineering firm in return for help landing government contracts, including a three-floor seaside resort that he denies owning.

Under Brazilian electoral law, a candidate is forbidden from running for office for eight years after being found guilty of a crime. Rare exceptions have been made in the past and the final decision would be made by the top electoral court if and when Lula officially files to be a candidate.

The supporters crowding the streets by the union office cheered defiant speeches and called the case a political witch hunt.

Lula was initially found guilty of corruption and money laundering in July 2017. In January, an appeals court unanimously upheld the charges against him and he was sentenced to prison.

His conviction stems from an anti-corruption investigation known as Operation Car Wash, with the accusations emerging after he left office in 2011.

Lula is yet to exhaust the appeals process and there are still two higher courts – the Superior Court and the Supreme Court – who he can submit appeals to.

Neither would reassess the underlying case upon which he has been sentenced to prison and would instead evaluate whether legal procedures were followed accordingly and if his constitutional rights were breached.

If either court were to deliberate in his favour the process could take months or even years. However, Lula's sentence could be annulled and released if either were to rule in his favour.

Additional reporting from Reuters