Mozambique: Trial begins of four accused of illegal building near Beira airport – AIM

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Mozambique: Trial begins of four accused of illegal building near Beira airport – AIM

7:00 CAT | 03 Jul 2023

File photo: O País

The trial began on Thursday in the central Mozambican city of Beira of four men accused of the illegal construction of a two storey building within a restricted area belonging to Beira airport.

The building is being erected near air traffic control equipment, and so could pose a threat to communications between aircraft and Beira airport control tower.

So, in mid-2021, the Public Prosecutor’s Office embargoed all further work on the site. A prominent embargo notice was slapped on the building, but despite this work has continued.

The four men, three Mozambicans and a Chinese citizen, are charged with the crime of disobedience for ignoring the embargo notice.

But there are serious doubts as to whether the police arrested the right people, since none of the four actually owns the building.

The three Mozambicans claim to be odd-job men, and say they were arrested merely because they were cooking lunch near the building. A report carried by the independent television station STV says the Chinese citizen may have been confused with the real owner of the building. He says he was arrested near the building on his way to work.

The arresting police officer could not give the Beira City Court a convincing explanation for why he had detained the four. He told the judge he had found them near the building site, and believed that the Chinese was the owner of the job, and that the three Mozambicans worked for him. But he could give no evidence for these assumptions.

The three Mozambicans are being held in preventive detention, while the Chinese citizen has been granted provisional freedom. The case has been adjourned until next Tuesday.

Source: AIM