Braslia: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his hope on Thursday that 'justice is served' in the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges related to an attempted coup. Bolsonaro, along with seven others, has been indicted following Brazil's Supreme Court's decision to accept the charges against them.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Supreme Court reached a unanimous five to zero decision, indicating that the charges brought by the prosecution against Bolsonaro merited a criminal trial. President Lula emphasized the importance of a fair trial, stating, "I only hope that justice is served. If he (Bolsonaro) is found innocent in the proceedings, let him be declared innocent. If he is guilty, let him be punished."
The prosecution accuses Bolsonaro of authoring and leading a plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential elections, which saw Lula being elected as the president. Lula remarked on the gravity of the situation, saying, "It's obvious the former president tried to stage a coup, he knows he tried to assassinate me, he knows he tried to assassinate the vice president and everyone knows what he did."
In contrast, Bolsonaro has dismissed the charges, telling reporters that there is 'something personal' against him and labeling the accusations as 'very serious and unfounded.' The Supreme Court will now proceed with hearing evidence and witnesses presented by the prosecution to determine the outcome for Bolsonaro and his co-defendants.