The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau announced today that it has issued an international arrest warrant against Domingos Simões Pereira “in the context of a criminal proceeding”, without further information.
“I think it is in line with what has been the performance of this governmental structure as a whole, but particularly of the Attorney General who is in charge of an authority whom he serves in the interests of interests,” Domingos Simões Pereira told Lusa .
Domingos Simões Pereira has been in Portugal for several months, having recently traveled to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the President of Guinea-Conakry, Alpha Condé, which took place on Tuesday.
“Everyone had already heard the sentence handed down by the self-proclaimed President of the Republic, if Domingos arrives here it is better that he comes prepared to go to prison and now the other one comes to execute”, said the leader of PAIGC.
For Domingos Simões Pereira, “everything is very strange”.
“If there is a case, I am the president of the largest political party that has its headquarters in one of the main squares in Bissau and, therefore, I cannot believe that they failed to notify me to identify my whereabouts,” he said.
The PAIGC leader also stressed that he is a deputy, elected to the current legislature with an active mandate.
“Knowing the internal rules, they know the mechanisms they have to activate in case they want to request my presence to respond to any type of situation”, he said.
But, for Domingos Simões Pereira, what is “more evident” and “is in plain sight” is that everything happens when he announced his return to Bissau.
“I understood that the reasons that kept me out are no longer there, or at least there is greater openness and I think that I can continue to exercise not only my citizenship rights but as a political leader from Bissau,” he said.
“Now you see yourself making use of this type of international advertising, which in my view makes no sense whatsoever,” he said.
According to Domingos Simões Pereira, there are many people who do not want his return to Bissau or if they need his presence to be notified of the reasons why he is accused of having all the elements of defense that are necessary.
Recalling that one is in the presence of authority that “thinks it can achieve legitimacy through force”, Domingos Simões Pereira warned that “even in that circumstance there is some restraint”.
“Guinea-Bissau does not need more worries than those you have known, I am absolutely at ease, because I know that I am comfortable, I did not commit any crime that could take my sleep and compel any refuge,” he stressed.
The PAIGC leader insisted that “if there is a need to anticipate” the trip be contacted accordingly.
“There is no impediment to this, there is no need to lend this negative visibility to our country any more”, he concluded.
Simões Pereira disputed the presidential elections at the end of last year with the current President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who assumed power without waiting for the result of the electoral dispute that took place in the Supreme Court of Justice.
Following his inauguration, the Guinean President dismissed the Government led by Aristides Gomes, from PAIGC, having appointed another one headed by Nuno Gomes Nabiam, leader of the Assembly of the United People – Democratic Party of Guinea-Bissau (APU-PDGB) , and which includes the Movement for Democratic Alternation (Madem-G15), the Social Renewal Party and elements of movements that supported his candidacy.
Aristides Gomes has been a refugee at UN headquarters for several months and is also the target of several court cases, which his lawyers consider to be a “political persecution”.
The Government of Aristides Gomes was formed following last year’s legislative elections, won by the PAIGC, which won a majority in parliament based on a coalition with the Assembly of the United People – Democratic Party of Guinea-Bissau (APU-PDGB), Party New Democracy and Union for Change.
Nuno Nabiam’s government was able to approve its program in parliament, as well as the state budgets of 2020 and 2021 with the support of five members of the PAIGC.
