BRASILIA, June 2 — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday he would nominate his longtime lawyer, Cristiano Zanin, who defended him against corruption charges, to a seat on the Supreme Court.
The announcement ended weeks of speculation that the veteran leftist would nominate Zanin, who defended him in Brazil’s massive “Car Wash” corruption investigation.
“Everyone was expecting me to nominate Zanin, not just for the role he played in my defense, but because I believe he will become one of the Supreme Court’s great justices,” Lula told a news conference.
“He’ll be an exceptional judge.”
Opposition figures criticised the pick, accusing the president of seeking to fill the court with friendly judges.
Lula, who previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, nominated two of the 11-member high court’s current justices.
His handpicked successor, Dilma Rousseff, nominated four others.
If Zanin is confirmed by the Senate, it will bring the total to seven justices appointed under Lula’s and Rousseff’s Workers’ Party (PT) — a situation that has fuelled opposition accusations of left-wing bias on the court.
Zanin, a 47-year-old civil law specialist, had represented Lula since 2013 in his corruption cases.
Lula was ultimately sent to prison for more than 18 months on charges of accepting bribes. His convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021, enabling him to run for president again.
He narrowly defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in elections last year.
The Supreme Court has had a vacant seat since April, when former justice Ricardo Lewandowski reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. — AFP
