The First Chamber of the Machava District Court today sentenced five defendants to between four and seven years in prison on charges of taking part in the attempted murder of Momade Assife Satar "Nini Satar", and one of the wards of the Maximum Security Prison, "B.O", in Machava.

The defendants Damião Mula and António Chicuamba were each sentenced to four years in prison; Leão Wilson was sentenced to five years in prison; José Ngulele and Edson Muianga were each sentenced to seven years in prison.

For the judge, it was proven that they orchestrated the murder of Nini Satar. During the sentencing session at the B.O., he said that the defendants carried out several attempts to murder Nini Satar. Among the plans were the introduction of a poisonous substance into his bathwater; an attempt to poison him; the use of a firearm; and the use of a melee weapon.

The defendants' defense, throughout the production of evidence, said that the audios that revealed the outline of the crime had no legal value. The judge countered by saying that the prosecution never relied on the audio recordings, but rather on expert evidence from the defendants' cell phones, confessions and documentary evidence. It was the defendants who confessed to the whole scheme to take Nini Satar's life.

The judge also said that the defendants are experienced in criminal matters. The police officers involved knew that they were carrying out a prohibited action. The judge also said that the witnesses called by the defendants' defense buried them even further by providing substantial testimony for their conviction. (National Justice)