Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Public Prosecutor at the Military Court of Instance wants to see investigations into the circumstances of the accident with an Armed Forces vehicle conducted by the competent judicial authorities. The accident, which killed 31 soldiers (eight fatalities), occurred when they were heading to Serra da Malagueta, on a duty mission to fight a forest fire.
In view of the silence regarding the promised inquiry to ascertain the causes of this accident, A NAÇÃO decided to contact Major Job Lima Gomes, Public Prosecutor at the Military Court of Instance, to try to find out how the process was unfolding
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However, this senior officer, who plays the role of Public Prosecutor in the Armed Forces, said he was also devoid of any relevant information about the case. And for that reason, he is also “concerned” with the movements surrounding this process.
As a Public Prosecutor, this source says he was called on the 2nd of April to take steps on the ground and to collect the bodies of the deceased soldiers on the spot, however, without the aim of, at the moment, focusing on the causes that gave rise to origin of the accident that killed 31 soldiers who were on a mission, as well as the “visible material damage”, concerning the State vehicle assigned to the FA.
It is his conviction that in a situation of this size due to the effects produced, involving the loss of human lives (eight), regardless of the institutions and entities involved, “the reasons must be uncovered by the competent judicial and judicial authorities”.
This, as he understands, so that justice is effectively done in the name of the people “through an equitable process, without hierarchical constraints or extraneous to justice itself in the concrete case”.
It considers, on the other hand, that the anxiety hovering within society is legitimate, permanently hoping for concrete information about the causes of what happened. “However, any information is not enough” alleges Major Job Lima Gomes, considering that the information about the inquiry must deserve “sufficient credibility” so that “it is satisfactory and that it is also accepted”.
“To this end, it is reasonable that, along with administrative investigations, with possible political and/or institutional consequences, an investigation should be launched outside the framework of the Armed Forces, not least because, from a legal point of view, the military institution is a party”, he asserted.
Aware of the reprisals that will be targeted because of these statements, Job Lima Gomes ensures that he will do everything, within the scope of his constitutional and legal attributions and in the strict performance of his functions as Public Prosecutor, so that justice is effectively done in the name of the people and in strict respect for the Constitution and the law.
Survey ongoing for more than a month
The day after the incident, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (CEMFA), António Duarte, announced, at a press conference, that an investigation was underway into the causes that led to the accident that led to the death of eight soldiers in combat. to a fire.
The major-general said at the time that, when he was transporting 31 soldiers to support the firefighting in Serra da Malagueta, “for reasons yet to be determined” the military vehicle collided and ended up overturning, causing the immediate death of five. operational. Two soldiers would end up dying in the Tarrafal health unit and one in the Santiago Norte unit, in addition to 23 wounded.
António Duarte also explained, at the time, that an investigation was “under way” to ascertain “the circumstances in which the accident occurred”, having assured that the driver, one of the fatal victims, was an “experienced” military man and that the vehicle , delivered to the Armed Forces in 2021, was “prepared to project” forces on the ground.
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