Just in: Ndambi Guebuza heard in court

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Just in: Ndambi Guebuza heard in court

1:33 CAT | 18 Feb 2019

Photo: O País

The son of the former Mozambican statesman Armando Guebuza, detained on Saturday, has just entered the room at Maputo City court to be heard by a judge in relation to his arrest. This is in line with Mozambican legislation which states that a detained person should be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours of the detention.

At this moment, the hearing aimed at the legalisation of the arrest is underway.

Upon Ndambi Guebuza entering the room, the Maputo court bailiffs created a security cordon so that the son of the former President of the Republic could not be caught on camera.

Ndambi Guebuza, who has been charged with involvement in the hidden debts scheme, arrived at the court building surrounded by security guards and court officials who hurried him up the stairs as soon as they realised the approach of the press.

Prison guards had ordered journalists to leave, so that they would not be able to identify the moment when Ndambi Guebuza was about to leave.

Alexandre Chivale, a lawyer for the Guebuza family, is in charge of Ndambi Guebuza’s legal defence.

Chivale will accompany the interrogation conducted by criminal investigating judge Délio Portugal. In the room will also be present a representative of the Public Prosecutor and an official of the Court.

It is recalled that. on Saturday. the judge issued a ruling ordering the pretrial detention order for seven of the eight Mozambicans already detained for alleged involvement in the scheme for contracting hidden debts.

These include the most high profile suspects, namely Gregorio Leao, the head of the security and intelligence service (SISE) under former President Guebuza, Antonio de Rosario the former head of economic intelligence at SISE, and Ines Moiane, the former private secretary to President Guebuza. The other defendants who are to remain in custody are Teofilo Nhangumele, Bruno Tandane, Sergio Namburete and Sidonio Sitoe.

In just one case, that of Elias Moiane, the nephew of Ines, the court granted provisional release, against payment of bail of one million meticais (about 161,000 US dollars, at current exchange rates).

Source: O País / AIM