The Lubango District Court scheduled the reading of the sentence for the 5th of March in the case in which Paula de Jesus Fernando Nassone, former administrator of the municipality of Humpata, in the province of Huíla, and her peers, are accused of committing four crimes
Four months following the start of the trial sessions, in the 2nd section of the Common Crimes Room, the Lubango District Court scheduled the reading of the sentence in the “Paula Nassone case” for March 5th. Paula de Jesus Fernando Nassone led the agricultural municipality of Humpata, in the consulate of the then provincial governor João Marcelino Tyipinge, and is accused of being involved in the practice of four crimes, namely, influence peddling, embezzlement, improper receipt of values and rape plan and budget execution standards.
The crimes were allegedly committed during his administration, between 2014 and 2018. The same process also includes the former director of the Office of Studies, Planning and Statistics, Edivaldo Anderson Sebastião Pires, as a declarant; the former secretary of the then municipal administrator of Humpata, Maura Isabel Fonseca Marques; and employees Júlio Kaingona Matias Chicuaia and Luísa Celina Gilberta Tyipinge Almeida. Also involved in this process are Edvaldo Vandezia Guerreiro Salvador, Avelino TChimbinja Guilherme and Jai Frederico, accused of being the perpetrators of the crimes of improperly receiving benefits, influence peddling, abuse of trust and embezzlement. About the then secretary of the municipal administrator, Muara Isabel Fonseca Marques, the crimes of influence peddling, improper receipt of advantages and abuse of trust are considered.
Diversion of six million in question
OPAÍS learned from a reliable source that these crimes allegedly carried out under the leadership of Paula de Jesus Fernando Nassone, resulted in the embezzlement of around more than 6 million kwanzas, whose fate was never justified by the manager and her work team. At the time, the Humpata Administration transferred, from the public account, a total of Kz 6,835,111.65 (six million, eight hundred and thirty-five thousand, one hundred and eleven kwanzas and sixty-five cents) to the account of the secretary of that institution public, Maura Isabel Fonseca Marques.
The aforementioned amount, according to our newspaper, was transferred in phases, through a withdrawal order from the account of the Municipal Administration of Humpata, between the months of January and May 2018. Invited to clarify the reasons for executing the aforementioned transfers, the Municipal administrator of Humpata, Paula Nassone, refused to speak to our report at the time, having referred it to the municipal director of the Office of Studies, Planning and Statistics of that Municipal Administration, Edvaldo Pires.
The latter, in turn, responded that the amounts were transferred to the account of the municipal administrator’s secretary because, supposedly, a company that provided cleaning services to the Humpata Administration had it. Asked regarding the format used to contract the services of Maura Marques’ company, Edvaldo Pires clarified, at the time, that there was no competition, but it was through an invitation letter. The trial began on October 4, 2023, with five hearing sessions, in which evidence was produced and discussed for the material discovery of the facts that affect the former administrator of Humpata.
In the penultimate session, the Public Prosecutor’s Office asked the Lubango District Court to acquit Paula Nassone and the other six defendants, due to insufficient evidence. For the Public Ministry, during the investigation of the case, “no evidence was produced in the true sense of the word to convict the defendants”.
BY: João Katombela, in Huíla