PJ Judicial Police (PJ) arrested a man close to the former president of Guinea-Bissau, Sissoco Embaló, at Fogo Maduro Military Airport in Lisbon today on suspicion of smuggling and money laundering, a source linked to the investigation has told Lusa.
According to a statement from the PJ, the flight was coming from Guinea-Bissau; the suspect had around €5 million in cash in his luggage, and police, along with the Tax Authority, approached him following an anonymous tip-off.
Authorities seized the money, and the suspect – a foreign national whose identity at first ‘was not revealed’ – will be brought before a court for judges to decide whether or not he should be given bail.
According to Portugal’s criminal investigation police agency, “the flight was initially classified as military and, after Lisbon, would continue to (Beja airport)”. But it later emerged that its nature and final destination “were different” from those reported to aviation authorities.
The joint actions of the PJ, and the Tax Authority lasted “throughout the night and early morning”, says Lusa
Sissoco Embaló was recently ousted as president of Guinea Bissau and appears to have sought refuge initially in Senegal. He is pro-Russia/ pro-Vladimir Putin (who said earlier this year that he hoped Sissoco Embaló was successful in the upcoming presidential elections, so that the two countries’ cordial relations could continue). A military coup put paid to these ambitions however – and since then Sissoco Embaló has given an interview where he went so far as to blame Portugal for his ‘political demise’, saying Portugal is “always hostile” when a president is Muslim.
The BBC has stressed that the former Portuguese colony of Guinea Bissau “has witnessed at least nine coups or attempted coups over the last five decades”.
Some reports add that the wife and sister-in-law of Mr Embaló are also believed to have been on board the jet boarded by authorities at Figo Maduro. Neither appear to have been arrested.
RTP meantime has suggested that the arrested man is Tito Gomes Fernandes, a ‘businessman close to Sissoco Embaló’.
UPDATE: Correio da Manhã adds that the wife and sister in law of Sissoco Embaló intended to “install themselves in this country” – the idea being that Sissoco Embaló would follow at a later date.
“The final destination of the plane was Turkey”, adds CM – but all those on board have remained in Lisbon.
Sources: LUSA/ Observador/ SIC
