Authorities believe the funds were being transported to Portugal by the former president’s wife and his close associate to sustain the family’s lifestyle abroad.
Portuguese Judicial Police have seized suitcases containing about five million euros in cash at Lisbon’s Figo Maduro Airport and arrested a man described as a close associate of Guinea-Bissau’s recently ousted president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
According to CNN Portugal, the cash was discovered on Sunday after a private jet arriving from Guinea-Bissau landed at the airport. Sissoco Embaló’s wife was among the passengers on the aircraft.
Investigators are treating the incident as a suspected money-laundering case.
Authorities believe the funds were being transported to Portugal by the former president’s wife and his close associate to sustain the family’s lifestyle abroad.
Sources cited by the report said Sissoco Embaló was expected to later join his wife in Lisbon, where he was considering seeking political asylum following his removal from office in November, citing concerns for his personal safety in Guinea-Bissau.
The cash was seized by the Judicial Police, while the man found to be transporting the money was arrested and charged with smuggling and money laundering.
Other passengers on the private jet were reportedly questioned and identified but were not detained.
In November, Guinea-Bissau’s ousted president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, arrived in the Republic of Congo’s capital, Brazzaville, on Saturday, days after he was overthrown by the military, Congolese government sources told AFP.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Bissau, the West African country’s leading opposition party said its headquarters had been “invaded” by a “heavily armed militia” following the post-election coup that brought the army to power.
The military seized control of the Portuguese-speaking nation on Wednesday — a day before the provisional results of national elections were due to be announced — prompting Embalo to initially leave for neighbouring Senegal.
The true motives for the coup remain unclear, with speculation and conspiracy theories circulating, including claims that the takeover may have occurred with Embalo’s blessing.