The second chamber of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) has granted the return of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's assets, which had been confiscated as part of the proceedings connected to the now-defunct Lava Jato legal operation.

The verdict was made by three votes to one when Minister Edson Fachin (from the STF) annulled all of Lula's penalties in the Lava Jato case in March.

Fachin determined that the Federal Justice of the southern city of Curitiba lacked the formal authority to try the founder of the Workers' Party and, as a result, he declared the proceedings null and void.

This decision was upheld by the whole STF in April.

The continuing prosecutions in the state of Parana concerning the triplex apartment in Guaruja, the site in Atibaia, and gifts to the Lula Institute and its headquarters were referred to the Justice of the Federal District, and Lula's legal team requested the release of the frozen assets in these trials.

“This new STF ruling is due to the acknowledgment of the invalidity of the trials against former President Lula because of former judge Sergio Moro’s incompetence and suspected partiality, the legal team of the former president said in a statement.