Lula is not the first Brazilian president to serve a prison sentence

When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surrendered himself to the Federal Police on Saturday, April 7, he became the first Brazilian president to be imprisoned for corruption. Yet he was not the first Brazilian president to serve time behind bars. Five other men who held the Republic’s top office have also been handed prison sentences – although none for an “ordinary” crime. For two of them, the arrest occurred while still in office.

Here, we’re listing them in chronological order:

Hermes da Fonseca (1910-1914)

Army Field Marshall Hermes da Fonseca was arrested eight years after leaving office, in 1922. He was held for six months during a time of grave political crisis. In...