Guinea-Bissau: two ex-ministers prosecuted for embezzlement of public funds

In Guinea-Bissau, the trial of two former members of the government, respectively responsible for public finances and the Treasury, began on Monday March 11.

They are accused of having taken more than nine million euros from the state coffers, without any procedure.

But barely started, the trial had to be postponed as the hearing was stormy.

View of Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

(Illustrative image).

© Charlotte Idrac / RFI

By: RFI Follow

Advertisement

Read more

From the opening of the hearing at the

Bissau

Court of Appeal , Monday March 11, the lawyers of Souleiman Seidi and Antonio Monteiro, respectively former Minister of Economy and Finance;

and former Secretary of State for the Public Treasury, considered that the procedure was unconstitutional.

Because it was the Office for Combating Corruption and Economic Crimes which carried out the investigations and hearings of the two accused.

However, their lawyers believe that this Office is not legitimate in this case since it was created following an order from the Attorney General, and not by a law after a vote in Parliament.

The defense also calls into question the court itself, asserting that it does not have the jurisdiction to prosecute the two former

members of the government

.

The debates lasted several hours, in a very agitated atmosphere, which pushed the court to adjourn the trial to a date which has - for the moment - not yet been specified.

Clashes at the end of last year

As a reminder, the former minister and secretary of state were arrested at the end of November, after having taken more than nine million euros from public coffers, “ 

to support economic actors

 ”, they defended.

On the night of November 30 to December 1, after their arrest, elements of the National Guard

attempted to free them

by force.

Clashes with the army and Special Forces left two people dead, before the perpetrators of the escape laid down their weapons.

President Umaro Sissoco Embalo presented these events as “

an attempted coup d’état

”.

Also read: Guinea-Bissau: “There is an attempted institutional coup against the National Assembly”

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your inbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Share :

Continue reading on the same themes:

  • Guinea-Bissau

  • Corruption

  • Justice

  • Crime

  • Umaro Sissoco Embalo