A Brazilian judge has ordered former President Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva to surrender to authorities in the southern city of Curitiba by Friday afternoon to begin serving a 12-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction.
The arrest warrant was issued just hours after Brazil s top court, the Supreme Federal Tribunal, voted 6-5 to deny a request by da Silva to stay out of prison while he appealed the conviction.
In a statement, Federal judge Sergio Moro said he was giving da Silva the opportunity to come in of his own accord because he had been president of the nation.
Da Silva was found guilty last year of taking bribes in the form of major renovations on an oceanfront apartment, in return for steering contracts to a construction company. An appeals court upheld the verdict in January.
Da Silva says the corruption charges against him are politically motivated and designed to keep him running for president again in October s election. Despite his conviction and six other pending corruption trials, he is leading in opinion polls. His Workers Party described the ruling as "a tragic day for democracy and Brazil".
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