© Paulo Whitaker/ReutersDemonstrators take part in a protest in support of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's appointment of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as her chief of staff, at Paulista avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 18, 2016.
Brazil's Supreme Court has blocked former President Lula da Silva from becoming chief of staff to President Dilma Rousseff amid ongoing corruption probes. The ruling could stoke new tensions in Brazil, plagued by anti-government demonstrations.
Earlier this month, Silva, often referred to as one of the most popular politicians in Brazil's history, was brought in for questioning in an investigation into an alleged kickback scheme in the state oil company Petrobras. Should he become a cabinet minister, he can only be prosecuted with the approval of the Supreme Court.
The 70-year-old heavyweight politician was sworn in as chief aide to Rousseff on Thursday, in an effort to help her win back working-class supporters during the worst economic recession in decades.
Silva's appointment, which makes it much harder to investigate alleged links to a corruption scandal, immediately came under fire, with critics saying Rousseff deliberately wanted to shield the influential veteran politician from prosecution.
"The goal of the falsity is clear: prevent the carrying out of a preventative arrest order" against Silva being considered by a lower court, Justice Gilmar Mendes wrote in his ruling on Friday. The government is likely to appeal the ruling, which will be decided by the full court.
Although Rousseff and Silva have repeatedly denied the accusations, tens of thousands demonstrators gathered to rally on Friday. Riot police fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters who had blocked Sao Paulo's central thoroughfare since Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Comment: Washington D.C. is a revolving door of liars, thieves and killers who wear suits. A place where people invent terms like "too big to fail," "collateral damage," or "enhanced interrogation" to disguise and deceive the public into believing that its acts are anything less than evil. For many decades the US establishment has been robbing its citizens blind and doing so right under the noses of the mediocre and corrupt political hacks who are sworn to act in our best interest. And of course, we've allowed it, because we haven't had the whole picture. But we're much closer to seeing things as they are, and people need to know who's responsible when the next economic disaster occurs.