A Brazilian appeals court has upheld the corruption conviction against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- a case that could determine whether he will be able to run for his old job later this year.
Police surrounded the location of the courthouse Wednesday and helicopters flew overhead.
Lula was convicted last July and sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison for money laundering and corruption.
The former president, his wife and several others were accused of benefiting from upgrades to a beachfront property made by a construction firm connected to a kickback-scandal involving state-run oil company Petrobras.
Lula has denied the charges and says he never owned the property.
