Lula assures son will face no privileges in influence-peddling probe

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva declared that his eldest son will not be granted any privileges amid an ongoing investigation into alleged influence peddling. "If he is guilty, he will have to pay like everyone else does when they make a mistake," Lula stated during an interview on the Inteligência Ltda podcast.

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If he is guilty, he will have to pay like everyone else does when they make a mistake

Lula also mentioned that his son, Fábio Luís Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha, who currently resides in Spain, would return to Brazil if he faces trial in his home country. Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça has authorized the Federal Police to investigate Lulinha for suspected influence peddling. Reports suggest he may have intervened on behalf of contacts with the Ministry of Health and the Presidency's office, according to the newspaper ‘Folha de São Paulo’.

The magistrate approved a request from the police to examine Lulinha's actions in facilitating a permit for the commercialization of medicinal cannabis. President Lula, preparing for the upcoming October presidential elections, noted that his son has been a target for opponents seeking to attack him since 2006. "Whoever wants to attack me, starts by attacking him," Lula remarked.

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Whoever wants to attack me, starts by attacking him

The leader of the Workers' Party (PT) expressed confidence in his son but cautioned that "if he is accused of anything, he will be treated like anyone else's son." He emphasized, "There will be no privilege. I will never ask a commissioner or a judge not to do the right thing."

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There will be no privilege. I will never ask a commissioner or a judge not to do the right thing.

Lula further stressed that his son "has no right to err," referencing his own past legal battles with corruption charges in the 2010s, which were later dismissed, allowing him to return to public life. "If he is tried, he will come here (to Brazil). He will not hide... He will have to prove he is innocent. He will have to prove it. And if he is guilty, he will have to pay as everyone pays when they make a mistake," the president asserted. The investigation into Lula's eldest son comes shortly before the official start of the presidential campaign, where the progressive leader is seeking an unprecedented fourth term.

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He will have to prove he is innocent. He will have to prove it. And if he is guilty, he will have to pay as everyone pays when they make a mistake