José Sena Goulão / Lusa
Paulo Rangel, Minister of Foreign Affairs
The wife of the deposed president of Guinea-Bissau was on board the private jet, with approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was accused of smuggling and money laundering. Rangel does not explain “state flight”, neither does Justice.
A plane from Guinea-Bissau landed in Portugal with the wife of Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the Guinean president deposed in an alleged coup d’état less than a month ago, on November 26, on board. And it wasn’t just Dinísia Embaló and Tito Gomes Fernandesassociated with the president’s close circle, who were on board.
The flight, initially classified as a “military flight”, was after all a “state flight”and will have entered Portugal with approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to this Monday.
The plane, a private jet, landed in Figo Maduro in the early hours of the 14th and was intercepted by the Judiciary Police (PJ), who seized around five million euros in cashin an operation triggered by an anonymous tip. The PJ reported that the nature and destination of the flight did not correspond to what was declared (referring to Beja), but the JN states that the destination would be the Türkiyeyou also know RTP África.
“The flight was initially classified as military and, after Lisbon, would continue to Beja. It was later found that the nature of the flight and its end were different than initially indicated to the aeronautical authorities”, reads a statement from the PJ, without specifying that it was, after all, a State flight and that the final destination indicated would be Turkey.
PJ inspectors and tax authorities went to Figo Maduro hoping to find a military plane and they will have been surprised upon seeing an aircraft with a civilian crew and passengers. The PSP mobilized a team of personal security personnel to ensure the transport of Dinísia Embaló to her residence in Lisbon, an indication that, at least for some State structures, there was a protection framework associated with the disembarkation.
Tito Gomes Fernandes was arrested and Dinísia Embaló was charged on suspicion of smuggling and money laundering.
But what stands out is the qualification of the flight as a “military flight” and only later as a “state flight”. In Portugal, the qualification of “state flight” for aircraft coming from other countries depends on the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel, confronted, sent clarifications to the Ministry of Justice. The court also does not respond: refused to comment and indicated that there could be information via the Air Force or the National Aeronautical Authority (AAN) — which also do not provide clarifications as it is their responsibility to instruct the MNE’s decisions with technical opinions.
It is not known why the “military flight” designation was changed — or by whom — nor is it known why this aircraft was given the new “state flight” classification by the MNE.
What happened in Guinea-Bissau
On November 26, three days after the general elections and one day before the announced date for publishing the results, at a time when two candidates declared victory in the presidential elections. General Horta N’ta was sworn in as transitional President of Guinea-Bissau.
The opposition and some international figures claim that the coup was orchestrated to prevent the publication of results unfavorable to then president Sissoco Embaló.
The candidate claiming victory, Fernando Dias, reportedly sought refuge at the Nigerian Embassy in Bissau, while Domingos Simões Pereira, leader of the PAIGC, was detained (and since released) in conditions that were unfavorable, including to his health. The deposed president Embaló left Bissau on November 28th for Dakar, then passed through Brazzaville, in Congo, and there was news, unconfirmed, of a trip to Morocco.
