Africa-Press – Angola. The trial of the former chairman of the Board of Directors of the former company “AAA Seguros”, Carlos São Vicente, initially scheduled for yesterday, in the third Criminal Section of the Court of the District of Luanda, was postponed to 11 February.
The adjournment was due to the fact that the court did not comply with the 15 days notice period established by law for summoning the defense and the defendant to the trial. “The defense was notified, but the defendant only received the subpoena on the 18th of this month”, said the judge of the case, Edson Escrivão.
present, including the defendant himself.
São Vicente is accused of embezzlement, economic participation, influence peddling and money laundering. In the period between 2000 and 2016, the businessman carried out “a scheme of illegal appropriation of shares” of AAA and of income and profits produced by the system” of insurance and reinsurance in the oil sector in Angola, thanks to the company’s monopoly. will have injured Sonangol in more than 900 million dollars.
On Wednesday, friends and family, including the defendant’s wife, Irene Neto, were present at the third Criminal Section of the Luanda District Court to attend the trial, as well as journalists from various national and foreign media. Also in attendance was a team of international lawyers who will accompany the trial as an observer.
After the announcement of the adjournment of the trial, a group of journalists tried to hear the defendant’s wife, but the attempts were unsuccessful. To the questions that were put to her, Irene Neto answered, we want justice!”
François Zimeray, from the International Consortium of Lawyers, who is watching the trial as an observer, told the battalion of journalists that he believed that justice would be done in the case of Carlos São Vicente.
“We came as observers because we believe that justice will be done in this trial,” said Zimeray, who said he was “quite surprised” by the “less cordial” way the judge treated the defendant and the defense. addressed the accused or the defense, nor did he look at them,” he said. “What happened today (yesterday) felt more like a press conference than a (trial) hearing,” he added.
“I hope that justice will be done, in fact, in this trial”, reaffirmed the French lawyer, pointing out the fact that the period of preventive detention of São Vicente has been exceeded, when Angolan law allows only one year of preventive detention as a limit.
In the role of human rights ambassador in various courts around the world, François Zimeray stated that all citizens must have the right to a fair trial, whether they are rich or poor, stressing: “we must defend the fundamental rights of Carlos São Vicente and of all people who need justice.
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