Jussie Smollett's guilty in his hate crime hoax case, but the Illinois Supreme Court was still right to overturn his conviction ... at least according to the Osundairo brothers, whose testimony was critical in convincing a jury to convict him.
Abel and Ola's attorney, Gloria V. Rodriguez, tells TMZ ... the Osundairos respect the court's decision to reverse Jussie's conviction because the case was more about Jussie's deal with prosecutors than his innocence or guilt.
The brothers say the jury got it right when they returned a guilty verdict against Jussie ... and Abel and Ola stand by their sworn testimony.
As we reported ... Jussie cut a deal with State's Attorney Kim Foxx when he was originally being prosecuted ... and it called for him to do community service and pay $10,000 in exchange for the charges being dropped.
Prosecutors eventually went back on their deal after caving to public pressure. They tried Jussie in court and he was found guilty and sentenced to time behind bars.
The conviction was overturned Thursday ... with Illinois' high court ruling Jussie's deal with Cook County prosecutors had to be honored.
Abel and Ola are ripping the plea deal ... telling us it was "a sweetheart deal that only celebrity, social status, and influence can afford."
The brothers add ... "Justice can never be achieved when it is the result of hallway handshakes, backroom conversations, and misleading statements to the public."
But, a deal's a deal ... and the Osundairo bros say ultimately the court got it right.