Luanda - National Assembly unanimously approved Tuesday the suspension of the mandate and the lifting of the immunities of the ruling MPLA party’s deputy Manuel Rabelais.
The decision, which came at the request of the Supreme Court, was "sealed" by Parliamentarians with 170 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions.
Manuel Rebelais is accused of crimes of embezzlement, violation of plan and budget implementation rules, improper receipt of benefits and money laundering, as director of the former Office of Revitalization of Institutional Communication and Marketing Administration (GRECIMA), between the years 2016 and 2017.
Besides Manuel Rabelais, it is also involved in the case as the defendant Hilário Santos, a GRECIMA employee at the time, who was an administrative assistant.
According to the Constitution of the Republic, in its Article 150, Members of Parliament may not be arrested or detained without authorisation to be granted by the National Assembly or, outside its normal period of operation, by the Standing Committee, except in the act of committing an intentional crime punishable by a prison sentence of more than two years.
