SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil — With a looming deadline to turn himself into authorities, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday hunkered down with supporters at a metallurgical union that was the spiritual birthplace of his rise to power.
The once wildly popular leader, who rose from poverty to lead Latin America’s largest nation, had until 5 p.m. local time to present himself to police in Curitiba, about 260 miles southwest of the Sao Paulo suburb of Sao Bernardo do Campo.
Federal judge Sergio Moro, seen by many in Brazil as a crusader against endemic graft, on Thursday issued an order for da Silva’s arrest so he would begin serving a sentence of 12 years and one month for a corruption conviction.
Three hours before the deadline, it remained to be seen whether da Silva would comply, or instead wait for authorities to pick him up. The latter would be a logistical nightmare given the thousands of supporters outside and heavy Friday traffic in Sao Paulo, South America’s largest city.
Two sources close to da Silva told The Associated Press that the former leader would not go to Curitiba, but instead was considering either waiting for police at the union or presenting himself in Sao Paulo. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share internal deliberations being discussed.
“I don’t see why he should turn himself in just because judge Moro had an anxiety crisis,” Sen. Lindbergh Farias, from the Workers’ Party, told journalists at the union. “I think they should have to go through the embarrassment of coming here and taking him in front of all these people.”
“That footage will be seen around the world and it will be historic,” he added.
Moro’s warrant came after Brazil’s top court, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, voted 6-5 to deny a request by the former president to stay out of prison while he appealed a conviction that he contends was simply a way to keep him off the ballot in October’s election. He is the front-running presidential candidate despite his conviction.
In a statement, Moro said he was giving da Silva the opportunity to come in of his own accord because he had been Brazil’s president. He also said a special cell away from other inmates had been prepared for da Silva at the jail in Curitiba, where Moro ordered da Silva to present himself.
Last year, Moro convicted da Silva of trading favors with a construction company in exchange for the promise of a beachfront apartment. That conviction was upheld by an appeals court in January.
The speed with which Moro issued the warrant surprised many, as legal observers said there were technicalities from da Silva’s upheld appeal that would not be sorted out until next week.
Such technicalities “were simply a pathology that should be eliminated from the judicial world,” Moro said in his statement.
Late Thursday, thousands gathered outside the metallurgical union in Sao Bernardo do Campo where the ex-president universally known as “Lula” got his start as a union organizer. Hundreds spent the night sleeping on the street. Early Friday, da Silva waved to supporters from a window at the union but did not speak.
