Mozambique: Policemen accused of stealing €127,000 from a casino in Maputo acquitted

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Mozambique: Policemen accused of stealing €127,000 from a casino in Maputo acquitted

6:16 CAT | 26 Jun 2020

File photo: Social Media

The Judicial Court of Maputo has acquitted five police officers accused of involvement in a robbery of 10 million meticais (€127,000) from a casino.

The court decided to acquit the defendants for insufficient evidence, said Judge Rui Dauane, on reading the sentence.

In total, the case had seven defendants, including five police officers and two casino employees, charged with the crimes of aggravated robbery, delinquent association and use of prohibited weapons, according to the indictment.

The two casino employees, one of whom was on the run, were sentenced to 12 years in prison in addition to returning the 10 million meticais stolen.

The robbery occurred on 31 July 2019 in Maputo, after the manager of Casino Marina withdrew 10 million meticais in one of the commercial banks of the city.

The manager was in the company of one of the drivers of the casino, now convicted when the car they were following was blocked by two others.

Two men came out of the two vehicles and presented themselves as police officers.

According to the indictment, the casino driver did not offer resistance and unlocked the car, disobeying the manager and facilitating the process for the robbers, who seized the 10 million meticais.

The manager ordered the casino driver to chase the vehicles, but the driver declined once again.

According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the police officers would have visited the casino days before the robbery with a false notification and request for accounting information, but the real intention was to recognise the location for the subsequent robbery.

On Wednesday, the court found that the driver’s behaviour was intended to facilitate the robbers’ escape, which proves his involvement in the case.

Source: Lusa