Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) will not face criminal charges that claimed he received R$20 million to help Odebrecht obtain business in Angola.
The petista, however, will continue to face charges for a portion of the crimes in this case, including passive corruption and influence peddling.
The decision was taken on Tuesday (23) by a Brasilia judge, analyzing the defendants' written responses to the complaint made by the MPF (Federal Public Prosecutor). The case was investigated in Operation Janus.
Oliveira acquitted Lula of the crime of criminal organization because he is facing the same offense in another case. For him, this is a double charge, which leads to "summary acquittal."
The judge found the complaint inept (without substance) when it referred to the signing of supposedly fictitious contracts between Odebrecht and the company Exergia do Brasil. This company would have been used to pay advantages to Taiguara Rodrigues, the nephew of the deceased wife of the former president.
The judge stated that Lula was far from the facts and did not participate "in the signing and contracts." "There is still evidence that he did not perform or follow up the work, and the description of the offense and its circumstances are not adequately clear," he wrote.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon