Retrial unlikely to free Lula from jail: Chief Justice

A retrial is "very unlikely" to free Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from serving a 12-year jail sentence, the chief justice of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) said on Monday.

Chief Justice Jose Antonio Dias Toffoli told reporters his corruption case "was already exceedingly debated," so "it would be very unlikely to see any change" in the outcome.

Since the two-time ex-president was convicted and sentenced to 12 years behind bars for corruption, his defense team has presented about a dozen appeals to higher courts.

Last week, the STF resumed its review of a new appeal, this one brought against the court's own earlier six-to-five decision denying Lula's request to stay out of prison while pursuing the appeals process.

The decision forced Lula to begin serving his sentence in early April, and to carry out his presidential campaign from behind bars.

He has since been disqualified from running for reelection on Oct. 7 due to Brazil's Clean Record Act, which bars anyone convicted of a crime from standing for public office.

Dias Toffoli, who took over as chief justice last week, said the review was likely to continue next month, "but it won't be in this month of September."