Brasilia, Apr 16 (IANS): Brazil's Federal Supreme Court (STF) has upheld the annulment of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's convictions on corruption charges, clearing the way for him to contest in next year's general elections.

By a vote of eight to three, the court on Thursday rejected an appeal by the Attorney General's Office against the annulment of the convictions handed down by a federal court in the state of Parana, which stemmed from charges brought by the so-called anti-corruption 'Operation Car Wash', reports Xinhua news agency.

In March, STF Judge Edson Fachin, rapporteur of the case, declared the federal court in Parana incompetent, saying it had overreached its jurisdiction.

Lula was imprisoned for one year and seven months, from April 2018 to November 2019, in Parana's capital Curitiba, and has since been under house arrest.

The former President had been sentenced to eight years and 10 months in prison for allegedly accepting a luxury apartment from a construction company in exchange for lucrative government contracts.

Being found guilty derailed Lula's run for the presidency in 2018 as the candidate of the Workers' Party, since Brazilian law bars those with convictions from holding public office.