Luanda: The Supreme Court (TS) sentenced Judge Jos© Louren§o Pereira to five years in prison for the crime of embezzlement. The decision was announced by Judge Anabela Valente, the case's rapporteur, after the court considered the facts presented in the complaint filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office to be proven.
According to Angola Press News Agency, in addition to the prison sentence, the accused was ordered to pay court fees of 150,000 kwanzas. The ruling also determines the forfeiture to the State of $711,938.86, an amount which, according to the court decision, corresponds to the values that the defendant and his accomplices allegedly misappropriated. The funds will remain under the custody of the General Treasury of the Courts of Common Jurisdiction until the final judgment of the case. The decision also covers funds previously held in bank accounts belonging to other defendants and a legal entity involved in the case.
Among the amounts mentioned are $46,234.14 associated with Milton Edmundo Mota Simo, $134,833 belonging to Eug©nio Carlos Ma§o, $104,906 belonging to Joo Milton Miguel Gaspar, and $2,088 belonging to the company Cabeza Angola Engenharia, S.A., all domiciled at Banco Millennium AtlSntico. According to the Supreme Court, the blocked funds, totaling $288,061, must be transferred to the General Treasury of the Courts of Common Jurisdiction and to the Attorney General's Office (PGR), in accordance with the ruling.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the defense lawyer, Jos© Carlos, filed an appeal with suspensive effect. The case is part of the actions to combat corruption, embezzlement, and mismanagement of public resources carried out by Angolan judicial authorities in recent years.
