The hearings of the trial of the hidden debts process taking place in the tent of BO Maputo province, are suspended from today until January 06. The suspension is due to the existence of four cases of covid-19 in the team of defense lawyers, informed the Judge, Efigénio Baptista.

The Hidden Debts Judge decided to adjourn the trial on the request of the prosecutor, Sheila Marrengula, who asked that a 14-day quarantine be allowed for all contacts of the lawyers infected with the coronavirus.

The court learned of the positive case on the defense team on Thursday, but held the trial on Friday, a measure contested by the lawyers, several of whom missed that day's session.

The hearings are suspended when the Maputo City Judicial Court, which is trying the case, interrogated declarants, after having exhausted the interrogation of the 19 defendants.

Sitting at the bar of the court are the 19 suspects accused by Mozambican justice of having embezzled $2.7 billion from the Mozambican state.

Note that the hidden debts were contracted between 2013 and 2014 by the Mozambican companies Proindicus, Ematum and MAM for tuna fishing and maritime protection projects that never came to fruition.