Second Trial
The second trial against dos Santos commenced December 1, 2005. Three days before the trial, dos Santos was caught preparing to make a third escape. The attempt was thwarted by a new guard, recently transferred to the jail.
Dos Santos immediately pleaded innocent and not guilty and said that his previous statements on the Cardoso case had been the result of manipulation by his former defence lawyer. Dos Santos exonerated Nyimpine Chissano from any association with the murder and identified the Satar family members, already convicted at the 2002-2003 trial, as his principal clients. The trial pronounced dos Santos guilty on all nine counts and increased the sentence to 30 years.
Media reports commented that the trial did not solve many incident questions on the extent of dos Santos' connections in Mozambique politics and that dos Santos' decision not to appeal the sentence was an indicator of another jailbreak being planned. His court-appointed lawyer explained that his client feared that the appellate court could increase the jail term further.
Read more about this topic: Anibal Dos Santos
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