Patrice Trovoada Confirms That There Was An Attempted Coup D'Etat

Patrice Trovoada is not convinced that the former president of the Parliament of São Tomé and Príncipe had nothing to do with the assault on the Morro barracks, in São Tomé, on 25 November The prosecution of the São Tomé Public Prosecutor's Office, which was assisted by the Portuguese Judiciary Police and the Portuguese prosecutor's office, refers to the "lack of sufficient evidence that Delfim Neves was the moral author or instigator" of the attack, but the Prime Minister says that no he was made an arguido because the “rigor of law” allowed his political opponent to “benefit” from the archiving.

"Contrary to statements by some sectors, it is confirmed that there was an attempt at a coup d'état, a violent change of coup d'état", said the head of the São Tomé government, in Lisbon, on the sidelines of the conference on Democracy in Africa , of the International Democratic Center, in Lisbon It is not confirmed, however, that Delfim Neves, third most voted in the 2021 presidential race, “has been the moral author or instigator of the crimes under investigation”, as written in the indictment, quoted by Lusa.

Recalling that “justice in São Tomé and Príncipe is independent” and, in this matter, “the Government does not interfere”, Patrice Trovoada justifies that Neves, who was arrested on the morning of the coup and stayed there for three days, before being released , he was only not accused due to the lack of quality of the accusations “The rigor of the law, in such a serious case”, explained the prime minister, led to “some declarations, some denunciations not having the required quality” to open a case against his opponent.

That's what allowed, “in the particular case of Delfim Neves” and on “his involvement in the coup d'état”, which he “benefited from the shelving” There is “a fact that we cannot now reverse”, said Patrice Trovoada, that is, that “four important witnesses” were killed that same day, when they were under military guard – an investigation not yet concluded.

“When there is a doubt, it is normal for the defendant to benefit from the doubt”, added the head of the São Tomé government, thus introducing doubt into the conclusion reached by the MP The former president of the Sao Tome National Assembly, meanwhile, has already filed a complaint in court against the prime minister for defamation, due to the fact that he identified him as ordering the attack on the barracks.

According to the complaint, to which Lusa had access, Trovoada “was presented in a television image for the São Toméans and for the foreign population, resident and international, attributing the authorship, as a direct financier, of what he described as an attempted coup d'état, to the person of Delfim Santiago das Neves” The defense of the former President of Parliament underlines that “Patrice Trovoada's statements caused social alarm and seriously disturbed the complainant, as well as his family, friends and acquaintances.

Such expressions are objectively offensive to the honor and social consideration of the complainant, imputing to him facts that are not true, despite being of a serious criminal nature” Perhaps, for this reason, when asked by PÚBLICO, if he continued to consider Delfim Neves as the man behind the attack (which ended with the death of three of the four attackers to the barracks and of Arlécio Costa, former combatant of the South African Buffalo battalion, detained in his home), Patrice Trovoada preferred to say: “Everybody understood what I meant.

” It is necessary “to wait for the second part, the second inquiry, which has to do with the events in the barracks, but I insist again, we need to recognize: there is a coup d’état that is the main cause of everything that happened”, underlined the leader of the Sao Tome Government, who spoke at the conference in Lisbon on “Justice and Democracy”, implying that the excesses committed a posteriori against those allegedly involved in the attempt were due to the exalted moods in relation to the crime they had supposedly committed the inquiry,.