MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Six close aides of Lula's electoral campaign indicted

A Brazilian federal judge indicted six close aides of Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva involved in an illegal electoral campaign operation to purchase a dossier of information allegedly exposing opposition candidates.

However the ruling that includes imprisonment can only become effective following Sunday's presidential election.

Among the six is Freud Godoy who last week resigned to his post as special advisor to the Presidency and who for over a decade had been a private secretary to President Lula da Silva

All six indicted from different positions were intimately involved in President Lula da Silva's re-election bid.

Brazilian Federal Police confirmed Wednesday the arrest warrant for all six but said it can't proceed since electoral legislation bans all arrests five days before and 48 hours following Election Day.

Two of them had already been arrested when they were caught red handed with the equivalent of 800.000 US dollars ready to pay for alleged dossiers with information exposing presidential opposition candidate Geraldo Alckmin and Sao Paulo governor hopeful Jose Serra.

The alleged dossier was to be supplied by a businessman indicted for fraud in an ambulances scam involving millions of US dollars purchased at different levels of the Brazilian government.

However the Federal Police decision was criticized by the Brazilian Solicitors Order and opposition leaders arguing that it gives time to the culprits to hide evidence and prepare their defense.

The president of the Solicitors Order, Roberto Busato said that the Federal Police decision "gives them time to prepare, to flee, to confuse law abiding citizens, and has failed in isolating the indicted while the prosecution's search of evidence proceeds".

The new scandal surrounding the Workers Party and President Lula da Silva's closest entourage occurs in the last five days of the campaign but opinion polls keep showing that the incumbent candidate will be re-elected with a comfortable margin and no need for a run off.