The defendants in the Hidden Debts case heard this Tuesday, in the first contradictory session of the application for preventive seizure of assets, rejected the request by the Public Ministry (MP) for preventive seizure of assets, which are alleged to have been acquired with the money from illegal loans.

They are António Carlos do Rosário, former Director of Economic Intelligence at the State Intelligence and Security Service (SISE), the Mozambican secret service, Ângela Leão, wife of former Director-General of SISE and also an accused Gregório Leão, and Inês Moiane, former private secretary of former President of the Republic Armando Guebuza.

António Carlos do Rosário claims that some of the properties listed by the prosecution do not belong to him and others were acquired before the debts were incurred.

Ângela Leão denied holding assets in a company in which her husband is a shareholder and also stated that one of the apartments targeted in the seizure request was bought before the hidden debts.

In her turn, Inês Moiane contested the MP's request, justifying that the assets subject of the seizure request are not personal, but belong to the family.

Ines stated that even the assets registered in her name are in that situation by family choice.

The adversarial debate on the preventive seizure request continues on Wednesday with the hearing of three more defendants.