Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison, BBC reports.
The judge ruled he could remain free pending an appeal.
Lula has rejected claims he received an apartment as a bribe in a corruption scandal linked to state oil company Petrobras.
He says the trial is politically motivated and denies any wrongdoing.
The case is the first of five charges against him.
On Wednesday, a judge found him guilty of accepting bribes from engineering firm OAS in the form of a beachfront apartment in return for his help in winning contracts with the state oil company.
He is accused of bribery, money laundering, influence peddling and obstruction of justice.
Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram
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