FORMER Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica was expected last night to visit his Brazilian counterpart Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva in the Curitiba jail where he has been held since early April.

Mr Mujica, who has been trying to visit him since he was imprisoned two months ago, intended also to join pro-Lula demonstrators outside the Parana Federal Police Superintendency.

The Brazilian ex-president was imprisoned for allegedly taking a seaside apartment as a bribe in the Car Wash scandal.

Lula insists he is innocent and remains ahead in the polls for October’s presidential election.

His imprisonment is widely seen as a political stunt by the right-wing constitutional coup government, which seized power, toppling president Dilma Rousseff, to block Lula from running for re-election.

The Supreme Federal Court ruled last week that Sergio Moro, who jailed Lula, illegally coerced him into making a statement by sending 500 federal police to summon him for questioning.