Africa-Press – Mozambique. The systematic delays and non-attendance of defence lawyers at the BO tent yesterday forced the court hearing the ‘hidden debts’ case to appoint two public defenders for all 19 co-defendants.
The attitude of several lawyers has contributed to the late start of the sessions, with yesterday’s case being the most glaring. Even given the waiting period allowed by the judge, the session would end up starting without the presence of any of the 19 co-defendants’ lawyers.
Judge Efigênio Baptista therefore determined that the trial should have two public defenders, and for this purpose, requested, with the support of the Mozambican Bar Association, an assistant in this process, that the Institute of Sponsorship and Legal Assistance (IPAJ) and the Bar Association itself appoint two lawyers to exercise permanent public defence of the co-defendants until the end of the trial.
The judge justified the need to have an unofficial lawyer as a way to safeguard the defendants’ rights of defence, as well as so that the representatives of the co-defendants could not at some future point claim ignorance of certain facts.
Most of the co-defendants were unable to tell the court why their lawyers were absent, some suggesting it was because the matters currently under discussion were irrelevant and without any connection with them. However, when they finally arrived at the trial yesterday, the lawyers apologised for what had happened.
Yesterday, on the 45th day of the trial, the court heard declarant Silvestre Saluda, who said he had heard from Ematum CEO, defendant António Carlos do Rosário, that the project for its creation included a defence and security component.
The 16th deponent heard in this process also said that he earned 174,000 meticais as a director of operations and later an advisor at Ematum.
He said he went to Paris with the aim of finding out about the manufacture of boats at Privinvest’s shipyards. However, contrary to his expectations, he did not get to witness anything but was put to watch, in an ordinary living room, a video about the assembly of the vessels. He said that, still in the French capital, he saw five vessels being launched, but his suggestions that they be adapted to Mozambican circumstances fell on deaf ears, as the manufacturer did not change anything.
Yesterday’s session was also marked by the fainting of the defendant Inês Moiane. The secretary of former President of the Republic Armando Guebuza fell and momentarily lost consciousness as she walked in the tent reserved for the co-defendants, where she was going to spend her meal break.
By
Hélio Filimone
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