Luanda – The trial of the "Lussaty Case" was suspended this Tuesday due to the absence of deponents and witnesses included in the process.
For this Tuesday, 20, the hearing of seven generals of the Military Affairs Office of the President of the Republic was scheduled. In view of their absence, they will only be heard by the court on 26 September.
The trial session will continue on Wednesday, with the hearing of other deponents and witnesses, already summoned for that purpose.
The trial of the "Lusaty Case" began on 28 June, in one of the conference rooms at the Talatona Convention Center, in Luanda. The mega process has 48 defendants and 200 witnesses, especially Major Pedro Lussaty.
Pedro Lussaty and the other defendants are accused of committing 13 crimes, including embezzlement, continued criminal association, undue receipt of advantages, abuse of power and economic participation in a business.
The main defendant, linked to the Military Affairs Office of the President of the Republic of Angola, is in detention since June last year as part of "Operation Crab", after being found in possession of millions of dollars, euros and kwanzas.
According to investigations carried out by the competent authorities, the financial operation, headed by Major Pedro Lussaty to empty the treasury, was set up in the period between 2011 and 2017.
During this period, the scheme was made by requisitioning values for personnel expenses and payments for goods and services, based on the preparation of a payment plan that was submitted to the Ministry of Finance.
After its approval, the amounts were withdrawn in cash at the Savings and Credit Bank (BPC) and transported in trucks and afterwards deposited in the central treasury of the Presidential Guard Unit (UGP).
An unprecedented document, released by the media, reveals that between 2011 and 2017, Major Lussaty, in collusion with high-ranking officials from the Security Affairs Office of the President of the Republic, controlled 12 battalions and several services under the supervision of the Security Office. “During this period, those involved may have benefited from a fraudulent monthly amount that ranged from five million to 12 million kwanzas, amounting to an average of 360 to 864 million kwanzas, during the six years in which they were in exercise”, says the document.
Pedro Lussaty is from Lubango, Huíla Province. He joined the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) in 1997. With a degree in Computer Science, he worked until 2019 at the Security Affairs Office of the President of the Republic, as an assistant to the secretary-general.
