Brazil freezes accounts of ex-President Silva in graft case

A Brazilian judge says bank accounts belonging to ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have been frozen due to his conviction on corruption charges.

The office of federal judge Sergio Moro said today that the frozen assets amount to over 600,000 Brazilian reals (USD 190,000) in four accounts.

Moro is the same judge who sentenced Silva to 9½ years in prison in connection with a sprawling graft probe involving state-run oil giant Petrobras.

Moro also blocked Lula from using three apartments, a piece of land and two cars linked to the former president.

Silva denies any wrongdoing and will remain free until his appeal is decided.

A spokesman for Silva confirmed the assets were blocked by Brazil's central bank, but did not comment further.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)