Africa-Press – Angola. The Supreme Court (TS) sentenced, this Thursday, deputy commissioner Paulo Francisco da Silva to two years in prison, with a suspended sentence of three years, for the crime of arms trafficking.
In addition to the two-year sentence, he was sentenced to a fine of 60 days, corresponding to 250 fiscal correction units (UCF) per day and a court fee of 100 thousand kwanza.
Joaquim Matondo Marques Fernandes and Tony José were also sentenced in the process, both to 40 days of fines, corresponding to 200 UCF per day with a court fee of 80 thousand kwanzas.
Failure to comply with these items within a three-month period will result in imprisonment.
At the time, the court understood when reading the ruling that, due to the defendants’ willingness to collaborate during the process, and the fact that they were first-time offenders, suspended sentences were imposed.
The commissioning officer was accused of having imported bladed and firearms weapons from Namibia without an updated license, using illegal means and avoiding customs posts.
The lethal means included eight pistols, 15 sabers, five rifles, two of which were machine guns, and several ammunition carriers.
According to the accusation, the deputy commissioner had asked for help from his friend Joaquim Matondo Fernandes to use influence to remove the goods from Namibia and he, in turn, appealed to an acquaintance, Tony José, resident in Ondjiva, Cunene , to help.
Next, Tony José crossed the border to look for the three boxes containing the weapons and ammunition, using “thread” paths to bring the material to national territory.
The equipment was detected at the Xangongo customs post, during the search of a truck allegedly driven by a Namibian citizen, to whom Tony José allegedly paid 30 thousand kwanzas.
The deputy commissioner, who was previously deputy director for Armaments and Explosives, denied that they were lethal material, saying that the weapons were sporting rifles, as they were shot-by-shot and not bursts, and the sabers were knives. for domestic use and is therefore not prohibited.
Joaquim Fernandes confessed to having been an intermediary and that the deputy commissioner transferred 500 thousand kwanzas to Tony José to introduce the weapons into the country and send them to Luanda.
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