Guinea-Bissau’s legal defence team for prominent opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira has raised serious concerns over the judiciary’s handling of a trial linked to an alleged attempted coup d’état in November 26, 2025.
Roberto Indeque, speaking on behalf of the legal team representing the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) leader, argued that the state’s judicial appointments for the trial risk compromising the entire process. Specifically, the defence is challenging the deployment of magistrates from ordinary civilian courts to sit on the bench of the Superior Military Court.
According to Indeque, this unusual cross-appointment could directly violate Guinea-Bissau’s Criminal Procedure Code as well as its Constitution. The legal team maintains that blurring the lines between civilian and military jurisdictions undermines the fundamental principles of judicial independence, impartiality, and the defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Bissau-Guinean legal expert and political analysts, Dr Fransual Dias have warned that the structural composition of the court casts a shadow of doubt over due process. Because the case is highly politically sensitive, he noted that any perceived irregularities in the judicial framework could deeply fracture the country’s fragile political landscape and damage public trust in the national justice system.
–ChannelAfreica–
