SAO PAULO - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro has the right to a fair trial over allegedly attempting to overthrow the government to stay in power after losing his reelection bid in 2022.

Should Bolsonaro and his aides be found guilty of attempted coup, they could face up to 43 years in prison.

READ MORE: Brazil's ex-President Bolsonaro charged in alleged coup plot

"What I hope is that justice will be done, respecting the right to the presumption of innocence, that's all. I wish for myself and for any of my enemies the right to the presumption of innocence," Lula said as the final stage of the trial got underway at the Supreme Federal Court, the nation's highest court.

The president noted that Bolsonaro has the right to defend himself, a right that was denied to Lula when he was arrested in 2018 on corruption charges. The case against him was later overturned when the anti-corruption Operation Car Wash was found to have been politically motivated.

READ MORE: Bolsonaro clings to his future as electoral court case begins

"He (Bolsonaro) can defend himself as I could not. I did not complain, I was not crying," the president told reporters in Sao Paulo.