Lula Wants Press Apology Over Triplex Case

BRAZIL · POLITICS

Brazil’s president says that after a court ruling on the flat at the centre of his former conviction, the press owes him apologies as prominent as the accusations.

Brazil’s re-elected president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, asked followers on Thursday 12 November 2026 to press news outlets for a public apology over the Guarujá triplex case. In a live stream from COP31, the United Nations climate summit in Turkey, he said an apology hidden in a newspaper footnote is not enough.

He wants it “the same size as they made the accusation”, in our translation of his Portuguese. He spoke with André Janones, a federal deputy and ally, to the supporters who follow “Lula’s Army”, a WhatsApp channel that Janones uses to rally Lula’s backers and that has nothing to do with Brazil’s armed forces.

What the Court Decided

The case centres on a beachfront flat, or triplex, in Guarujá, a coastal city in São Paulo state, which prosecutors in the Car Wash corruption investigation, a sweeping probe that began in 2014, said the builder OAS, a large Brazilian construction company, had given Lula. Judge Marcelo Gentil Monteiro of the 12th Federal Criminal Court in Brasília has now ordered the auction proceeds of about R$2.4 million (about US$430,000, at 5.60 reais per US dollar, the market rate on 12 November) paid to OAS.

The ruling, issued in early November, follows the Supreme Federal Court’s finding (Brazil’s top constitutional court) that the Curitiba court that convicted Lula lacked jurisdiction, which annulled its decisions. Federal prosecutors backed the release of the money and asked for the criminal case to be archived because the time limit for prosecution had lapsed, and the court agreed.

Lula’s Case for the Apology

Lula spent 580 days in custody in Curitiba before the rulings against him were annulled, a period he recalled in the stream. He also said he wants to change how he speaks to Brazilians in his fourth term, with a direct and constant dialogue, so that others do not interpret him.

What It Means for You

For foreign readers, the episode shows that a corruption case the Brazilian courts have closed is still being argued in public. Lula’s call is addressed to news outlets, not to a court.

Watch for how editors respond, and for whether Lula’s plan for direct communication changes how his government releases news.

What Is Not Known

We do not know whether any news organisation will publish an apology or how many of the channel’s followers will act. We do not know when OAS will receive the money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Guarujá triplex case?

It concerns a beachfront flat that prosecutors said OAS gave Lula, leading to a conviction that was later annulled. The Supreme Federal Court annulled the Curitiba court’s rulings in the case.

What is “Lula’s Army”?

It is a WhatsApp channel that Lula’s ally André Janones uses to rally supporters. It is a communication channel, not a military body.

How much money is involved?

About R$2.4 million (about US$430,000), the proceeds from the auction of the flat. A federal judge ordered it paid to OAS.

Sources: Live stream of President Lula and Deputy André Janones from COP31, Turkey, 12 November 2026; federal court in Brasília, order on the auction proceeds, 9 November 2026 as reported; Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), request to close the case; Supreme Federal Court (STF), rulings on the Curitiba court’s jurisdiction.