Africa-Press – Angola. The 2nd Commander of the Presidential Guard Unit (UGP), Brigadier Luís Avelino Minguês Catamba, ruled out, yesterday, in court, the possibility of existing “schemes” that facilitate the transfer or attribution of privileges within the military institution.
Luís Avelino Minguês Catamba, listed as a witness in case number 230/22-A, known as the “Lusaty Case”, said that it was impossible for an officer to influence or proceed with the transfer of personnel from the UGP to the Casa do Presidente da República or to another unit. .
Asked by the public prosecutor to clarify irregularities committed by some defendants in the case in question, the witness said that “facilitation in transfers is not a practice of the UGP”.
“If anyone mentions that within the UGP there is a “scheme” to facilitate the transfer of personnel or the attribution of benefits, then I am not aware of this information”, he said.
Sereno, the brigadier explained to the Luanda District Court that the UGP is an institution of a military nature, which obeys rules, where subordinates cannot guide or influence any matter related to the operation.
Asked about the number of employees for UGP officers, Luís Avelino Minguês Catamba said that, as the army’s superior, the superior command recommends having five.
Yesterday, the Luanda District Court also heard operational intelligence officers, finance officers of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th battalions, as well as the 1st Transport Company assigned to the Military House of the President of the Republic.
Luís Manuel Baião, finance officer of the 2nd Battalion, questioned about the number of personnel in the aforementioned battalion and the amounts he received from the treasury, said he had no idea to describe in court.
Also questioned by the public prosecutor and the defense of the defendants about the destination of the remaining money, in the event of death or withdrawal of staff, Luís Manuel Baião was evasive.
The judge in the case, Andrade da Silva pedagogically told the witness that people who deal with money are sensitive to numbers. Therefore, he invited him to speak confidently about the activity he has been doing for many years.
Even so, Luís Manuel Baião stated that he did not have in mind the amount of money that was withdrawn in the strong box of the Banco de Poupança e Crédito (BPC). He added that the values varied between 18 and 22 million kwanzas to pay a battalion of approximately 200 troops.
Major Pedro Lussaty and other defendants in the process are accused of committing 13 crimes, including embezzlement, ongoing criminal association, undue receipt of advantages, abuse of power and economic participation in business.
The questioning session of the witnesses involved in the process will resume, on Tuesday, with other witnesses requested by the public prosecutor.
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