Lisbon, Dec. 22, 2025 (Lusa) - The flight that brought the wife of the former Republic of Guinea-Bissau president and his chief of protocol to Lisbon was classified as a state flight, the Portuguese ministry of foreign affairs confirmed to Lusa.

"The classification as a state flight was due to the fact that the person in question is the spouse of a head of state, in this case Sissoco Embaló (and the spouse is entitled to protocol treatment at the same level as the head of state)," an official source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Lusa, on Monday, officially confirming the information reported this morning by the Jornal de Notícias newspaper.

"Although deposed, but with no recognition from the new authorities, it was determined that, for expressly stated security reasons and only where they applied, some State prerogatives would be granted, while others would be denied," added the source, pointing out that "among the former was the classification of state flight, which has only protocolary effects - hence the authorities with police powers were able to act normally and without any prior knowledge of the State Protocol".

On 14 December, the Judicial Police (PJ, the country's main criminal investigation agency) arrested Sissoco Embaló's chief of protocol at Figo Maduro Airport in Lisbon on suspicion of smuggling and money laundering for carrying around €5 million in cash in his luggage, a source linked to the investigation previously told Lusa.

Tito Fernandes was later released without being brought before a court. The plane from Guinea-Bissau also carried the wife of the former Guinea-Bissau president, Dinisia Reis Embaló, who, although not arrested, was made an official suspect on suspicion of committing the same crimes.

According to the same source, the money was seized and its origin will now be investigated by the authorities.

According to a statement issued by the PJ on 14 December, "the flight was initially classified as military and, after Lisbon, would continue to [Beja airport]" in southern Portugal, but it was later found that its nature and final destination "were different" from those indicated to the aviation authorities.

A source linked to the investigation specified on Tuesday to Lusa that the final destination would have been Dubai.

The police action, in conjunction with the Tax Authority, took place following an anonymous tip-off.

"The classification as a state flight, it should be reiterated, is a matter of a purely protocolary nature and with effects exclusively of protocolary treatment, so much so that it is the responsibility of the State Protocol," says the ministry of foreign affairs, adding: "It should be clarified that the request that reached the State Protocol was never for a military flight, it was always for a civil flight."

The protocol effects translate into prerogatives in terms of priority in landing and take-off, the possibility of using reserved airports, reception by a member of the State Protocol and others of this nature, the ministry of foreign affairs further explains in its responses to Lusa.

Following the detention of the travellers, the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) opened an investigation into the case in which a man close to former Guinea-Bissau President Sissoco Embaló was detained at an airport in Lisbon.

A self-styled "high military command" seized power in Guinea-Bissau on 26 November, three days after the general (presidential and legislative) elections in the African country and one day before the announced date for the release of the results.

The opposition and international figures have claimed that the coup was staged by Sissoco Embaló because he was allegedly defeated at the polls, thus preventing the results from being announced and arbitrarily arresting several figures who supported the candidate claiming victory, Fernando Dias.

After being dismissed, Sissoco Embaló left Bissau on 28 November for Dakar, Senegal, and a few days later left that country for Brazzaville, Congo.

On 4 December, information circulated on social media that he had travelled to Morocco the day before.

MBA/AYLS // AYLS

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