Speaking to Lusa, Kelve Nobre de Carvalho highlighted that the relationship between his country and Angola "is always the best, not least because there is judicial sovereignty".
Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe are cooperating in the investigations into the alleged embezzlement of 30 million dollars ceded by Luanda to São Tomé, said the Angolan Attorney General, Hélder Pitta Grós, who said that “the defendants have not yet been constituted”.
Asked if the matter will not bring any "dissatisfaction" to the relationship between São Tomé and Príncipe and Angola, the São Toméan PGR denied.
Kelve Nobre de Carvalho highlighted the speech he made today at the international conference on "Asset Recovery", which takes place in Luanda, as part of the celebrations for the 43rd anniversary of the PGR, as a sign of the excellent relationship between both institutions.
"So much so that we spoke at this meeting and we were honored with a medal, that alone shows our relationship", he stressed.
The Sao Tome PGR confirmed that part of the alleged embezzlement of 30 million dollars was sent to international cooperation in Angola and another part filed in its country for "lack of criminal evidence".
Kelve Nobre de Carvalho said that the process concerns the 2017-2018 period and was concluded with the final order of the São Tomé Public Ministry (MP)
The São Tomé court ordered the shelving of the cases related to the then Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada (2014-2018), in addition to his then Minister of Infrastructure, Carlos Vila Nova - current President of the São Tomé Republic -, and the then responsible for the Finance, Américo Ramos, who was imprisoned for three months in 2019.
"And then, given the origin of the money, the source of the money, a part was sent to international cooperation in Angola with whom we are working together, obviously within the secrecy of justice that is peculiar in this type of criminal process" , said.
The São Tomé and Príncipe PGR also explained that the legal foundations that exist in the Criminal Procedure Code (CPP) of his country contributed to the shelving of the case.
After completing the preparatory instruction, he continued, "if there are no clear indications that, from the outset, could lead the subject to a trial, the filing is effectively determined in compliance with the rules of our CPP".
On Monday, Sao Tome's prime minister, Jorge Bom Jesus, asked the Justice to resolve the financial scandals involving former prime minister Patrice Trovada and others associated with the current government, including the management of covid-19 funds. 19 and the construction of infrastructure.
