In a response to Lusa on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 2024 judicial year, which took place in Luanda, Hélder Pitta Grós highlighted that the opinion related to the period in which the Portuguese-Angolan businessman was in pre-trial detention.
"This working group considered that his detention, because it was not carried out by a judge, was surrounded by some illegality, but we, at the time he was arrested preventively, did not yet have the figure of a guarantee judge in force", he explained.
The action was carried out in accordance with the law in force at the time, when it was still the Public Ministry that applied the preventive detention measure, a situation that was overcome with the creation of guarantee judges, he stated, adding that the São Vicente process "observed the various appeals filed by its lawyers, to the Court of Appeal, to the Supreme Court, to the Constitutional Court", this being an act of Angola's sovereignty.
"As such, the working group's opinion came very late", he stressed.
Pitta Grós said that the Government of Angola was not notified of the opinion, as would be mandatory, before public disclosure, and therefore did not respond to the entity.
"What we are seeing is a reversal. There was publicity, I don't know why, and so far the Angolan State has not been notified. We have not been notified, we cannot respond", highlighted the Attorney General.
Pitta Grós also revealed that, in accordance with the sentence, which determines the handover of São Vicente's assets to the State, the Angolan authorities are working with the governments of Switzerland and Singapore so that the assets and valuables in those countries "can remain at disposal of the Angolan State", also admitting contacts with Portugal on this matter in the future.
In mid-February, the United Nations working group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that the detention of Portuguese-Angolan businessman Carlos São Vicente was arbitrary and called for his immediate release and compensation.
Luso-Angolan businessman Carlos São Vicente was sentenced, on March 24, 2022, to nine years in prison for the crimes of embezzlement, tax fraud and money laundering, as well as paying compensation of 500 million dollars.
As for the former boss of Sonangol and former vice-president Manuel Vicente, he said that the process "has its time" and also depends on international bodies.
"We will really need international cooperation and answers do not always come in a timely manner, in the time we need. We will have to wait a little longer before one of these days we can provide clearer information", he said.
The PGR confirmed in January the opening of criminal proceedings against Manuel Vicente related to crimes of active corruption, money laundering and document forgery, within the scope of Operation Fizz.
Pitta Grós was also asked about the Freedom House report released on Thursday, which placed Angola among a group of "unfree" African countries, responding that he had no contact with the document, but that he will read the content to evaluate the reasons given.
Regarding the speeches at the opening of the judicial year, namely suspicions about judges and the independence of the courts, he considered that they were "pertinent" themes that can in some way "reflect reality".
"When we talk about the independence of the Justice bodies, this independence has to be materialized in the ability to manage financial resources (...) and, in fact, currently, we have had some difficulties", admitted the PGR.
For Pitta Grós, a fast, dynamic and close to the citizen Justice must be supported by financial conditions, which "has not been fully achieved".
