Brazil's Lula: leftist giant on the brink of tumbling

Sao Paulo

A FORMER shoeshine boy and steelworker who rose to become one of Brazil's most popular presidents, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva now risks seeing his reputation shredded in humiliating fashion.

Mr Lula faces five corruption trials and on Wednesday he was to go before crusading Judge Sergio Moro, head of Brazil's huge "Car Wash" graft probe, on one of them.

If Mr Lula is found guilty in any of the cases, he would risk being barred from seeking a comeback reelection in 2018, and even face imprisonment.

Mr Lula is, characteristically, fighting back. He denies all charges of bribe taking, money laundering and influence peddling, insisting that he is the victim of a politicised judiciary.

But he has already fallen a dizzying distance since the glory days of two terms in office between 2003 and…