Luanda - Angola's former ambassador to Ethiopia, Arcanjo do Nascimento, was sentenced Wednesday by the Supreme Court (TS) to three years in prison, turned into a four-year suspended sentence for embezzlement.
According to the judge, the defendant must return 31,000 dollars to the Angolan state (Angolan Embassy in Ethiopia) within 45 days and provide proof of this in the case file, in case of failure to do so the suspension will be revoked.
The defendant was also ordered to pay a court fee of 300,000 kwanzas.
According to the ruling, the sentence has been pardoned, under the terms of Article 2(1) of Law 11/16, of 12 August, the Amnesty Law.
According to the judge reporting on the case, João Fuantoni, the suspension of the three-year sentence will allow the defendant to "maintain his normal life", as long as he returns the 31,000 dollars taken from the coffers of the Angolan Embassy in Ethiopia within 45 days.
According to the judge, "it has not been proven" that the former ambassador to Ethiopia benefited from a total value of more than five million dollars, or that he transferred 100,000 US dollars to his account.
The defendant's defense promised to file an appeal within 20 days, considering that the court has "misinterpreted" the 31,000 US dollars to be returned.
Arcanjo do Nascimento, was accused of embezzlement and went on trial in 2023, accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of having received millions of dollars for the construction of three buildings to serve as a protocol residence, official residence and chancellery in Ethiopia.
The work, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office, was not completed due to the uncertain destination the former Angolan diplomat gave to the money.
The prosecution said that, on behalf of the Angolan state, powers were delegated to the defendant by the then finance minister to sign a contract with an Ethiopian contractor for the construction of the buildings in 2014.
According to the indictment, that year, under the instructions of the contractor, Arcanjo do Nascimento transferred the sum of five million US dollars to the account of a company based in Dubai, corresponding to 25 percent of the initial value of the work, for the purchase of building materials. FMA/VIC/DAN/AMP
