Nuno Pimentel’s case was never judged and the court ordered his release in September, but the businessman remains detained in illegal conditions
First he was arrested, now he is being kidnapped in a country that is even part of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).
Nuno Pimentel has been imprisoned for two years in Equatorial Guinea, during which time he has lost more than 30 kilos, without the accusations of fraud against him having been proven.
In parallel, and despite having received an immediate release order in September, the Portuguese remains detained and subjected to torture, while despairing at the inaction of Portuguese diplomacy.
“If the judge really ordered it, he would be free,” Daniel Pimentel, father of the detained man, tells Exclusivo, on TVI (from the same group as CNN Portugal).
In audio obtained through prison, Nuno Pimentel guarantees that he is being detained “illegally”: “This is called a kidnapping, because I have my freedom. I have a document that says I don’t need to be arrested.”
But he is, and the conditions in which he is kept in prison are, he says, inhumane.
“He gets beaten, he’s cornered in a corral without food or water”, says his father.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, is aware of the situation, but the family assured Exclusivo that the Government is doing nothing to put an end to the violation of human rights.
“I am still in jail, without being free, which is illegal, it is against constitutional law and my rights”, he states, reporting the anguish he feels: “I have already suffered a lot, I have lost 30 kilos”.
“The Portuguese consulate is aware. They say they are aware, but nothing is resolved”, highlights Daniel Pimentel, criticizing the lack of “courage” of the Portuguese State in intervening with Equatorial Guinea.
In response to Exclusive, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs guarantees that it is monitoring the entire situation: “The Portuguese ambassador in Malabo has systematically reiterated to the authorities of Equatorial Guinea, in an unequivocal way, the expectation that the Portuguese can be released as soon as possible, as determined by court ruling.”
Businessman, Nuno Pimentel was arrested for fraud crimes that were never proven, especially because, despite being arrested two years ago, he has not yet been tried in court. Now he awaits action after the final decision.
