International
Brazil judge annuls all of Moro’s cases against ex-president Lula
AFP
A magistrate on Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday annulled two more cases against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that had been brought by former judge Sergio Moro, who had previously been deemed by the same court to have been “biased” in convicting and jailing the iconic leftist leader.
The latest ruling invalidates all the evidence collected by Moro, meaning the trial process will have to start again from scratch.
That diminishes the chances of a relatively quick verdict being delivered that would block the 75-year-old Lula, as he is popularly known, from running for president in 2022.
Socialist Lula claimed his conviction was politically motivated in a bid to prevent him from running against President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2018 election that brought the far-right politician to power.
Supreme Court magistrate Gilmar Mendes said there were “factual and legal” links between the case in which Moro was declared “biased” and the other two cases that passed through the judge’s court in the southern city of Curitiba during his massive anti-corruption campaign known as “Operation Car Wash.”
Therefore, Mendes ordered an annulment of “all the decision-making actions” taken by Moro, including those that “preceded the procedure.”
In 2017, Moro convicted Lula of accepting a luxury apartment in Sao Paulo as a bribe and sentenced him to more than nine years in jail.
An appeals court upheld his conviction, preventing him from running for president again as he spent 19 months in jail.
But the second chamber of the Supreme Court, which is made up of five judges, in March accepted the argument by Lula’s defense that Moro’s political bias was evident when he was appointed justice minister by Bolsonaro.
The Supreme Court itself later ratified that ruling by a vote of seven to four.
Mendes’ decision extends that ruling to the other two cases Moro brought against the former president in Curitiba.
One case is related to the refurbishment of a farm in Sao Paulo state and the other to the purchase of land for the Lula Institute.
The former president, who was in office from 2003-2010, has always professed his innocence, but still faces three other trials, one in Brasilia and two in Sao Paulo.
International
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.
“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.
Trump will now become the first criminal president.
Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.
“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.
International
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
Canada imposed sanctions on 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan “regime” this Friday, including prominent members of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), for their involvement in human rights violations in Venezuela.
Among those sanctioned are DGCIM prosecutors Dinorah Yoselin Bustamante Puerta and Farik Karin Salcedo Mora; the director of criminal investigations at the agency, Asdrubal José Brito Hernandez, as well as its former deputy director, Rafael Ramón Blanco Marrero.
The sanctions also target several members of the Bolivarian National Guard: its general commander, Elio Ramón Estrada Paredes; the commander of the capital region, Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez, and lieutenant colonel, Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga.
Other individuals sanctioned include the director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello, and his deputy director, Miguel Antonio Muñoz Palacios; Brigadier General of the Bolivarian National Police, Rubén Darío Santiago Servigna, and Domingo Antonio Hernández Lárez, commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
International
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday that she asked Edmundo González Urrutia, former candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), not to return to Venezuela to avoid putting himself at risk.
In a video message, Machado explained that the opposition evaluated the situation and concluded that González Urrutia would be in danger if he tried to enter Venezuela as he had planned.
González Urrutia, who claims to have won the July 28 elections with the support of more than 85% of the official voting records, had announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume the presidency.
Earlier, Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of those elections, took the oath of office for a third term.
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
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