In Recife, Lula Says That Federal Judge Moro and the Federal Police Will Have to 'Ask for Forgiveness'

09/23/2016 - 12h20

Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) was critical of the 34th phase of the Lava Jato (Car Wash) investigation that ended up on Thursday (the 22nd) with the preventive detention of former Finance Minister, Guido Mantega.

According to Lula, after what he referred to as an "attack" against the party, the Federal Prosecutors, Federal Police, Judge Sérgio Moro, and the press would have to "ask for forgiveness".

"They went to get Guido [Mantega] inside of the operating room of his wife who has cancer, and then, afterward, with the greatest effrontery, they said that they didn't know that she had cancer. They knew that the person wasn't in the operating room for show", he criticized, during a speech made at night in Recife.

The new phase of the Lava Jato operation, which broke out only 10 days before municipal elections, is intended, according to Lula, to criminalize the PT and interfere with the election of its candidates. During the morning in Fortaleza, the former president went as far as referring to this new phase, called Arquivo X (X File), as "Exit Polls".

"They want to destroy the PT because we did in less than 20 years what they didn't do in five centuries. But don't worry, I'm at peace. I doubt that anyone within the Federal Prosecutor's Office, or Judge Sérgio Moro himself, is more honest than I am", Lula said.

During his 30-minute speech, Lula repeated accusations that "the press, part of the Federal Police, the Federal Prosecutor's Office and the elite are plotting" against him. "I am well aware of the hatred that they have for me", he concluded.

After visiting five cities in Ceará and Natal, Lula arrived in Recife for an event in support of PT mayoral candidates for Recife and Olinda. The PT leader arrived at the height of the event at 6 p.m. and took a 30-minute walk through the commercial center of the city.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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	Carlos Ezequiel Vannoni/Eleven/Folhapress
	In Recife, Lula says that federal judge Sergio Moro and the Federal Police will have to 'ask for forgiveness'