Africa-Press – Angola. The Justice Officer of the Supreme Court Silvano António Manuel denied, on Thursday, in Luanda, the Public Ministry’s accusations regarding the attempt to extort more than three billion kwanzas from the former Minister of Transport, Augusto da Silva Tomás, in exchange of effective passage to freedom.
The defendant’s position was expressed during the 1st session of the trial, at the Belas District Court, claiming that the accusations against him do not match the truth, because he limited himself to accompanying, in December last year, Paulo Jorge da Silva Ribas, considered a declarant in case No. 783/23A, to the former ruler’s house, without knowing what was going on.
Silvano António Manuel reported that, at the end of last year, he was contacted by the declarant, who arranged a meeting at one of the BIC bank branches, in Talatona, without being informed about the reason. After arriving at the meeting place, he added, he got into Paulo Jorge da Silva Ribas’s vehicle and headed to Augusto da Silva Tomás’s house.
The defendant clarified that the declarant intended to send a message to the offended party’s wife to speak to Augusto Trindade Bembele, a relative of the former minister and a co-accused in the case. Asked about his relationship with Paulo Jorge da Silva Ribas, he explained that he has known him for seven years and only kept in touch with him to get a space in the Cabo Ledo area.
The charges against the 39-year-old court official and co-accused Augusto Trindade Bembele, 52 years old, result from the arrest of the employee of the Supreme Court, in the province of Benguela, in February this year, accused of committing crime of criminal association, violation of judicial secrecy, abuse of power and attempted extortion.
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