A man suspected to have played a role in the deadly attack on Togo's national team bus in January prior to the 2010 African Cup of Nations tournament was sentenced to 24 years in prison today by an Angolan court.
“Joao Antonio Puati was sentenced to 24 years imprisonment and Daniel Simba was acquitted for lack of evidence,” their lawyer Jose Manuel told AFP.
The two men, accused of 'armed rebellion', had pleaded not guilty at the opening of their trial on December 16 in the oil-rich province of Cabinda, Angola.
“The judge was convinced that Puati had participated in the attack,” state attorney Antonio Nito told reporters at the end of the ruling.
“He was on the scene of the attack and his links with the FLEC (Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda) have been proven during the trial.”
