RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The head of Brazil's Supreme Court Dias Toffoli reverted on Wednesday evening an order which could have resulted in the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Earlier on Wednesday, another Supreme Court judge Marco Aurelio Mello had ordered the release of prisoners in Lula's situation, who had been accused in appeal courts, but still have not been judged by the Superior Court of Justice or the Supreme Court yet.
The order did not foresee the immediate release of the prisoners, for which defense lawyers had to file a request, as Lula's lawyers did less than an hour after the order was publicized.
However, the Chief Prosecution Office filed an injunction to stop the release. Judge Toffoli examined Mello's decision and decided to overthrow it.
According to the National Justice Council, some 169,000 people could have benefited from Mello's decision.
Earlier this week, Toffoli told the press that the Supreme Court would make a final decision on the legality of arresting the accused before the end of all appeals in April 2019.
