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Major espionage trial opens

    JOHANNESBURG

    A former translator at the South African embassy pleaded not guilty on Wednesday at the start of a major espionage trial in which seven Angolans stand accused of selling secret information to the South African government.

    According to Portuguese news reports, Joao Neto, the only civilian among the seven, pleaded not guilty to the charges linked to his job as an embassy translator in 1998. The other six are former soldiers.

    The charges being heard by Judge Domingos Paim, carry prison sentences of up to 20 years. The accused have already spent a year behind bars awaiting trial, according to the news reports.

    Sources in Luanda told IRIN on Wednesday details of the charges were not immediately available and it was not known whether the trial was being held behind closed doors. The country’s official media have not reported the case.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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