The London Court of Appeal considers that the President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, has diplomatic immunity and cannot be held responsible in the case of Mozambique's hidden debts, as Privinvest had wanted.

The information was released on Thursday by the British courts, stressing that Nyusi cannot be prosecuted in the UK over allegations that he accepted illegal payments as part of Mozambique's dispute over a bribe related to "hidden debts".

A publication by VOAAccording to the report, the shipbuilding company Privinvest wanted to drag the Mozambican head of state into a 3.1 billion dollar lawsuit brought by Mozambique, which accuses it of paying bribes to public officials and Credit Suisse bankers.

The High Court in London has yet to rule on the case, following a trial last year. Mozambique made a deal with Credit Suisse's new owner, UBS UBSG.S, on the eve of the trial in October.

However, shortly before the trial began last year, the Supreme Court ruled that Nyusi had not been properly notified of the Privinvest case and that he was entitled to immunity as head of state.

Privinvest wanted to sue Nyusi for allegedly accepting 11 million dollars in illegal campaign payments from Privinvest, claiming that the payments were legal.

The company says that if the court finds the payments illegal, Nyusi will have to contribute to any damages he may be ordered to pay.

But the UK Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that Nyusi was not properly notified of the case. Judge Julian Flaux also said in a written ruling that Filipe Nyusi "has immunity from the jurisdiction of the English courts for as long as he is head of state of Mozambique".

Nyusi's lawyer, Simon Bushell, senior partner at Seladore Legal, welcomed the decision, saying in a statement: "Today's victory puts an end to Privinvest's latest attempt to make the President contribute to any liability he may face in the wider dispute."