Portuguese authorities have intercepted suitcases containing an estimated €5 million in cash at Lisbon’s Figo Maduro Airport and arrested a man described as a close ally of Guinea-Bissau’s recently deposed president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
According to CNN Portugal, the discovery was made on Sunday after a private jet arriving from Guinea-Bissau touched down in Lisbon. The former president’s wife was reported to be among the passengers on board the aircraft.
Investigators are handling the case as a suspected money-laundering operation. Security officials believe the large sum of cash was being brought into Portugal by Embaló’s wife and his associate to support the family’s living expenses abroad.
Sources familiar with the matter said Embaló was expected to later travel to Lisbon to reunite with his wife, as he was reportedly considering applying for political asylum following his removal from office in November, citing threats to his personal safety in Guinea-Bissau.
The money was confiscated by the Judicial Police, while the individual found conveying the cash was taken into custody and formally charged with money laundering and smuggling. Other passengers on the private jet were reportedly identified and questioned but were not arrested.
Following his ouster, Embaló was reported in November to have arrived in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, days after he was toppled by the military, according to sources quoted by AFP.
Back in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau’s capital, the country’s main opposition party alleged that its headquarters was stormed by a heavily armed group in the aftermath of the post-election coup that ushered the military into power.
The army took control of the Portuguese-speaking West African nation on Wednesday, just a day before provisional election results were expected to be released, forcing Embaló to initially flee to neighbouring Senegal.
The exact reasons behind the military takeover remain uncertain, with various speculations and conspiracy theories emerging, including claims that the coup may have occurred with Embaló’s tacit approval.
