Brazil's ex-president and alleged head of a graft ring, Michel Temer, was freed from jail Monday after a judge said there were no legal grounds for his detention.
Temer, accused of leading a sophisticated embezzlement and money laundering scheme, was the second ex-president of the Latin American country to be caught up in a sprawling anti-corruption probe called Car Wash that has claimed scores of political and corporate scalps.
The 78-year-old predecessor of the current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Thursday in Sao Paulo and placed in "preventative detention" in Rio de Janeiro -- a decision overturned by judge Antonio Ivan Athie, citing the lack of legal justification.
Athie also ordered the immediate release of former mines and energy minister Moreira Franco and several others detained along with Temer.
"I am not against the so-called Car Wash (investigation)," Athie said in his decision.
"I want to see our country free from the corruption that plagues it. However, without constitutional guarantees, guaranteed to all ... there is no legitimacy in the fight against this plague."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content