The main judge in the Hidden Debts trial, Efigénio Baptista, will continue the debate on the application for preventive seizure of assets of the 19 defendants in the main case, by order of the Maputo High Court of Appeal, according to RTP citing a judicial source.

In this regard, the Maputo High Court of Appeal rejected the appeal filed by some defense lawyers. They understood that Efigénio Baptista could not rule on the Public Ministry's request to seize assets, while a request for the magistrate's removal is pending, which is being analyzed by the Supreme Court.

The lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court, after being removed by Efigénio Baptista from the trial of the Hidden Debts case. One of them was removed for having been made a declarant during the hearing of the defendants and production of evidence, who ended up not appearing and was therefore subject to a search warrant, and two others for conduct considered improper by the judge.

The trial was marked by moments of strong tension between the court and the lawyers, and the Mozambique Bar Association (OAM) abandoned its role as assistant to the prosecutor in the case because it disagreed with some positions of Efigénio Baptista and the public prosecution.

The verdict in the hidden debts case is scheduled for August 1.

In its closing arguments, the prosecution asked the court for the maximum penalty for eight of the 19 defendants, close to the maximum penalty for 10 defendants, and the acquittal of only one.

The Mozambican Public Prosecutor's Office also asked the court to order the defendants to pay damages of $2.7 billion, corresponding to the total Hidden Debts, plus interest of $850.5 billion calculated until 2019.