The end for Brazil's once-famous president.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leading candidate in next year's presidential election, has just been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for corruption.

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Photo: Reuters

According to Reuters, the court's ruling on July 12th was a painful defeat for Lula, Brazil's first working-class president from 2003 to 2011.

It also completely extinguished the ambitions of one of the most prominent politicians in this South American nation to return to politics.

Along with the 10-year prison sentence handed down in the July 12 trial, Lula will face four more trials related to corruption charges and remains free on bail while he appeals.

The prison sentence handed down to Mr. Lula came after a three-year investigation that rocked Brazil, exposing a pervasive system of corruption involving a host of high-ranking figures in the Brazilian government and business world.

Accordingly, Judge Sergio Moro concluded that Lula, 71, had received a bribe of 3.7 million real (US$1.2 million) from the company OAS SA.

This is the money that, according to prosecutors, OAS SA paid for renovating Lula's beachfront apartment as a "kickback" for helping them secure contracts with the national oil company Petroleo Brasileiro.

Prosecutors accuse Lula of masterminding a long-running corruption ring that was uncovered during an investigation into kickbacks surrounding the Petrobras oil company.

Former Brazilian President Lula's legal team maintains his innocence, arguing that there is no concrete evidence to support the accusations, that he is a victim of political maneuvering, and that they will continue to appeal the court's July 12 ruling.

According to Tuoi Tre newspaper