The High Military Court of Guinea-Bissau has acquitted Rear Admiral José Américo Bubo Na Tchuto, who was prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the attempted coup of February 1, 2022. After 11 hearings, the judges determined that there was no evidence to establish his responsibility, reports the newspaper O Democrata.

 

A look back at the facts

On February 1, 2022, armed men attacked the Government Palace, where a cabinet meeting chaired by President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was taking place. The assault, carried out with AK-47s and bazookas, left 11 people dead, according to authorities. Fifty people were arrested, including several high-ranking officers, among them Bubo Na Tchuto, considered at the time to be the group's leader.

 

Convictions and acquittals

In February 2025, the Bissau Regional Military Court sentenced 14 soldiers to 24 years in prison for undermining the constitutional order and attempting to assassinate the head of state. Three of them were sentenced in absentia to 29 years in prison. Eleven other defendants were acquitted.

 

Bubo Na Tchuto has been acquitted. The military prosecutor accused him of coordinating the attack and attempting to seize weapons from the National Navy. However, judgment No. 01/2026 emphasizes that the testimonies gathered did not establish a link between him and the events. The court therefore acquitted him.

 

The defense is satisfied.

His lawyer, Marcelino Ntupe, welcomed the decision, denouncing it as a "maneuver orchestrated by politicians for political ends." According to him, the verdict demonstrates that "no conviction, contrary to what some had hoped, has been handed down."