Defense of São Vicente says he only asked that sound and image of the businessman not be captured

Fernando Faria de Bastos, lead lawyer for the team of defenders representing Carlos São Vicente, said that "the defense never asked" that journalists be prevented from entering the room and that "it has every interest" in making their arguments known.

Last week, the journalists who were going to cover the businessman's trial stood at the door of the courtroom, as they were not allowed to record images and capture audio, which in the understanding of the secretary general of the SJA - National Union of Angolan Journalists , Teixeira Cândido, constitutes an impediment and a "clear lack of respect for the work of professionals".

The lawyer told Lusa, however, that the defense only wanted to safeguard Carlos São Vicente's rights to his privacy.

Asked about the fact that the ban on capturing sound and images constitutes an obstacle to the activity of journalists, Fernando Faria de Bastos said that it was "an option of journalists" not to attend the hearing.

He further considered that "the narrative that has been made known to the public is that of the prosecution and the defense has every interest that its narrative is also known".

The lawyer also noted that the size of the room is inadequate, as it has only 20 seats and its capacity is quickly exhausted.

The third session of the trial is taking place today in Luanda, with the hearings being essentially occupied with the interrogation of the accused, he said.

For Teixeira Cândido, the fact that the defendant requested that he not be exposed did not prevent the press from recording the accusation or the judge's interaction, he exemplified.

"The Criminal Procedure Code [CPP] says, under the terms of article 101, that the capture of images, sound and their dissemination required the authorization of the person, well, if the person says he does not want to be exposed, he is not saying journalists cannot have access to the audience and cannot, for example, record other images, as long as they do not expose him in private", he pointed out.

"Therefore, I could not understand the position of the judge who acceded to the defense's request and prevented journalists from recording, for example, the accusation. Where did you go to get the plea?", he asked.

The Portuguese-Angolan businessman is accused of several crimes, including tax fraud, embezzlement and the crime of money laundering on an ongoing basis.

According to the indictment, the businessman, who for almost two decades had the insurance and reinsurance monopoly of the Angolan state oil company Sonangol, would have set up a triangular scheme, with companies in Angola, London and Bermuda, which generated losses for the Angolan treasury, in fiscal terms, in an amount above 1.2 billion dollars.