The case, which is being heard in the Viana District Court in Luanda, has entered the questioning phase, presented this Monday by the judge in charge of the case, and involves Portuguese businessmen José Vieira (defendant) and Carlos Alberto (injured party), former friends.
According to the records, the facts date back to 2017, when Carlos Alberto asked José Vieira to exchange his 58 concrete pump (a small cement production truck for the construction industry) for a 41 pump, which belonged to the defendant.
The verbal agreement was never finalized because the pump was not imported from Portugal, but the dispute escalated and ended in a land dispute that also involves accusations of torture by the authorities.
José Vieira, the defendant, says that Carlos Alberto, the victim, demanded 400 thousand dollars from him for not having received the 41-bomb, which led him to be questioned by the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) where he was allegedly threatened and coerced into signing documents.
Under alleged influence from local authorities, Carlos Alberto is said to have forged documents that name him as the owner of the space where José Vieira lives and built shops, workshops and warehouses, where he provided assistance to customers, including the victim.
Carlos Alberto claims to have surface rights to the space, located in the urban district of Kikuxi, in Viana, one of the most populous municipalities in Luanda, and accuses José Vieira of the crimes of usurpation of real estate and breach of trust, which he denies.
Judge António José Eduardo found it proven that the litigation concerns a plot of land owned by the defendant, which was originally owned by his son.
However, according to the court, it was not proven that the defendant has the right to the surface of the land he occupies and claims to own, since the land belongs to the victim and José Vieira bribed the Viana inspection agents to carry out works.
The judge also stressed that it was proven that the defendant was threatened and psychologically tortured by SIC officers to sign the agreements contained in the records.
Jandira Bango, the victim's assistant lawyer, said that she has documents that prove that the surface rights were granted by the local administration to Carlos Alberto and expressed confidence that “the court will know how to do its job” and “achieve justice”.
The land dispute in Angola is a concern for the authorities, who admit that they are dealing with an organized crime.
The municipalities of Cacuaco, Viana and Belas, in Luanda, are among the most targeted in these cases, where high-ranking police officers, the Armed Forces and government officials are often involved against “defenseless” peasants, according to reports.
