"I want everyone to have the presumption of innocence (...) but (...) if Bolsonaro has something to do with what happened, he has to be punished," Lula said.
Brasilia, January 20 (RHC)-- The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, says that the former ultra-right leader Jair Bolsonaro has "a lot to do" with the coup attempt of last January 8, and said that if his participation is proven, he must be punished.
In an interview with Globo News, the Brazilian head of state stated that the attackers of the headquarters of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, in Brasília, could have received orders from Bolsonaro (2019-2022).
"I got the impression that it was the beginning of a coup d'état. I even had the impression that people were following the order and guidance given by Bolsonaro for a long time," the president said.
"Bolsonaro's decision to stay quiet after losing the elections (...), to go to Miami as if he was running away from something, and his silence even after what happened, gave me the impression that he knew everything that was going on, that he had a lot to do with it," he said.
In a tweet he posted on the subject, Lula da Silva stressed that "what we expect is more speed from Justice, in the investigation and trial." "I want everyone to have the presumption of innocence that I did not have, but I want people to be investigated. If Bolsonaro has something to do with what happened, he has to be punished," he said.
Last Monday, the Brazilian Prosecutor's Office formally charged 39 suspects linked to the riots against government headquarters on January 8th. Among those under investigation are the governor of the Federal District of Brasília, Ibaneis Rocha, who was removed from office for 90 days, and the Secretary of Security of Brasília, Anderson Torres, Bolsonaro's last Minister of Justice.
Bolsonaro, who is currently in the United States, is also being investigated by the Prosecutor's Office after being authorized by the Minister of the Federal Superior Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes.
