SAO PAULO, Jumada II 02, 1437, March 11, 2016, SPA -- Sao Paulo state prosecutors said Thursday they filed money laundering and criminal misrepresentation charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva because of evidence he and his family unduly benefited from a real estate scheme that adversely affected thousands of Brazilian families, according to AP. Lead prosecutor Cassio Conserino said at a news conference that the former president and his family were swept up in a yearslong investigation into wrongdoing at a failed cooperative in Sao Paulo that sold apartments at cost. The case hinges around a triplex in one of the residential towers built by the cooperative, which prosecutors allege was destined for Silva and his family. Silva has denied any wrongdoing and said he is not the owner of the apartment in the coastal city of Guaruja. The state public prosecutors' office brought the charges against Silva, as well as money laundering charges against his wife and one of his sons, late Wednesday. The judge in the case must now decide whether to accept the charges and move forward with the case. --SPA 01:01 LOCAL TIME 22:01 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w