"Man Genas," who became known for exposing on social media the alleged involvement of authorities in drug trafficking in Angola, began his trial this Tuesday in the Luanda District Court, accused of slander and defamation, co-authored with Clemência Vumbi, his wife.
The private prosecution stated that the victim is General Eugénio Laborinho, who was the Minister of the Interior at the time of the incident. The accused "is a high-ranking criminal," having previously been part of a criminal faction operating in Luanda and responsible for various crimes, such as armed robberies, violent vehicle thefts, and drug trafficking.
When asked by the judge why he accused Eugénio Laborinho of involvement in drug trafficking, Man Genas responded that it was because the then Minister of the Interior had dismissed the charges and because he was soon the target of an attempted murder.
According to the prosecution, Eugénio Laborinho "never met the accused at any time, never interacted with them," a fact confirmed by the complainant during his interrogation.
"This fact, based on logic and science, makes it clear that the defendants premeditated the crimes. They organized themselves, armed themselves with sophisticated means of mass dissemination of the slander, insults, and defamation they repeatedly perpetrated against the injured party," stated the injured party's lawyer.
The incidents date back to 2022, when, according to the indictment, "the accused decided to attack (...) every day, the image, honor, good name, and reputation of the victim, calling and accusing him with the ugliest words and adjectives, claiming that the victim is a bad person, a criminal, and that, along with the criminal investigation officer, Fernando Receado, former deputy director-general of the Criminal Investigation Service, they are drug traffickers, the kingpins of drug trafficking in Angola."
Also according to the indictment, the accused made threats against the victim, instigated others to mobilize and "invade the home of the victim and injured party." These crimes were committed most frequently in December 2022, starting in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where "the accused established their stronghold to continue committing the crimes."
In 2024, "Man Genas" and his family were deported from Mozambique, where they had sought refuge, to Angola, and have been detained ever since.
The prosecution emphasized that the events described damaged the victim's image within the military and the MPLA political party, of which he is a member. "The reputational damage, through the slanderous acts, reached alarming proportions," despite the accusations "making no real, logical, or chronological sense."
The prosecution calls for further investigation and "deeper and more comprehensive accountability," arguing that the campaign to disseminate the slander against Eugénio Laborinho "had the complicity of some agents or high-ranking officials from other military agencies of the State."
For moral damages "not yet accounted for," the prosecution requests an eight-year prison sentence for each of the accused and compensation of 5.5 million kwanzas for each of the accused.
