The president of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Justice Dias Toffoli, determined Monday (1st) night the enforcement of a previous decision from Justice Luiz Fux forbidding former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of granting an interview to Folha de S. Paulo.

Lula is serving time in Curitiba since April, after being convicted for corruption and money laundering.

Toffoli's decision caused an impasse in the Supreme Court.

Justice Ricardo Lewandowski authorized the interview last Friday (28th) morning, following a complaint filed by the newspaper. Still, on Friday the political party Novo, part of the opposition against PT in the upcoming general elections contested the decision and filed a request to suspend the injunction, which was sent to Toffoli to review.
 

Court vice president Fux, in lieu of president Toffoli, decided to forbid the interview, which was to be conducted by columnist Monica Bergamo, to happen. Fux also determined that in case the interview had already taken place, it could not be publicly released.

On Sunday (30th), Folha requested Lewandowski to allow his decision in favor of the paper to be carried out. In the petition, Folha's attorney argued that Fux's decision - rendered as acting Supreme Court president while the actual president Justice Dias Toffoli was regularly performing his role -- sets up "an unacceptable and surprising act of previous censorship, which is forbidden by the Constitution (...). It's clearly unlawful and it can't prevail."

On Monday (1st), Lewandoski determined that his Friday decision, authorizing the interview, to be enforced. 

^{Translated by NATASHA MADOV}

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