IURD trial takes place in Luanda despite the absence of one of the defendants

The session opened about ten minutes after the scheduled start time (10:30 am), due to organizational issues, and the judge in the case, Tutti António, questioned the absence of the accused Rodrigo César Ferreira do Carmo, Brazilian pastor, one of the five defendants in the process.

In response, the defense explained that he is absent from the country, during the expulsions carried out by the authorities of a group of Brazilian pastors and bishops invited to leave the national territory.

After hearing the prosecution, which defends the continuation of the trial with the proposal of a separation of guilt, and the defense, which defends the suspension of the trial, the court decided for the continuation of the trial. At issue are crimes of criminal association and money laundering.

Also during the preliminary questions, the prosecution, led by David Mendes, TV Zimbo commentator and independent deputy, after having left the UNITA parliamentary group, said that he had been attacked by one of the defendants, the Brazilian bishop Honorilton Gonçalves, who was summoned of "criminal", having aroused laughter from the defense and the defendants.

On this issue, the judge asked them to recant before the lawyer, advising him to file a complaint with the police if he deems it necessary.

The aforementioned episode, which deserved the intervention of the police and court officials, would have occurred when the lawyer arrived at the court, who, in another version, would have felt offended when the Brazilian bishop approached him to greet him.

The trial, in which four defendants are present, two Brazilians and two Angolans, was still in the stage of the "pre-questions marathon", as the judge himself classified, at 1:20 pm, in a full and unconditioned room at the Luanda Provincial Court (TPL ), in the center of Luanda.

Brazilian bishop Honorilton Gonçalves da Costa, former spiritual head of the IURD in Angola and Mozambique, is one of the defendants in this process and who has already arrived at the court in Luanda.

Bishop António Miguel Ferraz, chairman of the Board of Directors of the IURD (Brazilian wing), and pastors Belo Kifua Miguel and Fernandes Henriques Teixeira, former head of TV Record Africa, whose broadcasts in Angola, as well as two others, are also accused. channels, have been suspended since April, by decision of the Angolan government, which alleged administrative irregularities.

The IURD in Angola is currently divided into two churches with the same name, both claiming to be the legitimate representatives of the sect founded by Brazilian Edir Macedo: the Brazilian wing, led by Angolan Alberto Segunda, and the Angolan reformist wing, headed by Valente Bezerra Luís, legitimized by the Angolan government, which considers the governing body of Alberto Segunda, who took office last month, to be illegal, and several court cases related to the dispute are underway.