The facts that confirm the alleged assault on the residence of Major Pedro Lussati, previously assigned to the Security House of the President of the Republic and currently detained, are described in the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) indictment at the Luanda District Court consulted by Lusa.
According to process no. 1571/2022-MP, more than 10 SIC personnel and a colonel from the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), linked to the State Intelligence and Security Service (SINSE) allegedly invaded the residence of Major Pedro Lussati, in one of the condominiums in Luanda, and from there removed large sums of money in suitcases, between kwanzas and currency.
The indictment states that during preliminary interrogations, members of the SIC, wearing the institution's vests and armed with a forged arrest warrant, entered Lussati's residence and removed three suitcases of money, in May 2021.
They entered Lussati's apartment, convicted of embezzlement and fraud in 2022 as part of "Operation Crab", with the help of an FAA lieutenant colonel, also a defendant, and removed suitcases containing large sums of money, "taken to SINSE through General Fernando Garcia Miala (director general of SINSE) who arrived at the scene", as the MP states.
However, taking advantage of everyone's distraction, says the MP's order, one of the SIC agents, a defendant in the case, took possession of a backpack that was on the floor and which contained 500 thousand dollars, "having subsequently divided half the value with the your friend, the FAA officer."
The FAA officer, assigned to SINSE, confirmed, during questioning, that "although apprehensive" he received 250 thousand dollars.
In addition to the suitcases containing millions of kwanzas and dollars, the defendants assigned to the SIC, listed in the case, whose contradictory investigation begins on Wednesday at the Luanda District Court, also ended up with ATM cards, and from there made several transfers and high spending.
According to the indictment, they disagreed over the sharing of the amounts available on ATM cards, with two of them being killed by members of the group.
They are accused of criminal association, reception, use and abuse of credit cards, debits or guarantees, qualified homicide by reason of means and others, for acting in an "organized, concrete, free, voluntary and conscious" way that the conduct assumed it was prohibited, objectionable and punishable by law.
A source close to the court said that Major Lussati's defense "requires" the presence of General Fernando Garcia Miala and journalist from Televisão Pública de Angola (TPA) Cabingano Manuel at this hearing, as the latter "participated in the first episodes about the case" .
Pedro Lussati accused, last July, the head of the Angolan secret service of having kidnapped him, robbed one of his houses in Odivelas, Portugal, and of having appropriated millions of dollars.
Lussati, convicted in November 2022 for the crimes of abuse of embezzlement, currency transport fraud and money laundering, accuses the director of SINSE of crimes of "abuse of power, kidnapping and robbery".
The FAA official, in a letter sent to the president of the National Assembly and to which Lusa had access, also accuses the director of SINSE of the crimes of "extortion, slanderous denunciation, malfeasance and obstruction of justice".
Pedro Lussati was sentenced in the first instance to 14 years in prison, a sentence now reduced to 12 years. Lussati also attributes statements to the director of SINSE, according to which, "his money is with the President [of the Republic], João Lourenço".
