The Minister of Economy and Finance of Guinea-Bissau, Suleimane Seidi, and the Secretary of State for the Treasury, António Monteiro, were arrested this Thursday in the framework of a process related to payments to businessmen, a judicial source informed Lusa.
According to the source, Seidi and Monteiro were placed in preventive detention and transferred to the cells of the Judicial Police in the Reno neighborhood, near the Mercado do Bandim, in the center of Bissau, after about six hours of hearing at the Public Prosecutor’s Office. . .
The two government officials are being investigated as part of a payment of six billion CFA francs (about US$9.19 million) to 11 businessmen.
The opposition, which reported the case in Parliament, defends that it is a crime of embezzlement and lack of respect for budgetary rules, attributed to the Minister of Economy and Finance, although it was heard last Monday in Parliament.
In that instance, Suleimane Seidi confirmed the credit request and also argued that the entire process followed legality and also reaffirmed that it was a normal procedure between the Governments of Guinea-Bissau.
The opposition, in the voice of the Movement for Democratic Alternation (Madem G15), considers that the process is fraudulent because it involves “only businessmen linked to the Government” of the Inclusive Alliance Platform coalition (PAI-Terra Ranka).
Shortly after the case was reported, the Public Ministry carried out raids and seizures of documents at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and also at the bank that granted the credit for payment to the businessmen.
Several leaders of the Ministry of Economy and Finance were interviewed last week and today the two main officials of the institution were arrested.
Suleimane Seidi and António Monteiro are the leaders of the African Independence Party of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which heads the PAI-Terra Ranka coalition, in Government, together with the Party of Social Renewal (PRS), Party of the Workers of Guinea (PTG) and five other small political formations.
Madem G15 and the United Popular Assembly – Democratic Party of Guinea-Bissau (APU – PDGB) are the only opposition parties in parliament.
The arrest of the head of the Treasury portfolio occurs at a time when the Government is finalizing the General State Budgets for 2024, scheduled for discussion and voting in the plenary session of the National Popular Assembly, which will last until December 27.
Source: TSF
