According to his defence lawyer, Marcelino Intupé, the rear admiral was released on Monday and will await trial under the lightest measure of coercion, the Term of Identity and Residence (TIR).
Bubo Na Tchuto is the central figure in the case with more than 50 military and civilian detainees and was the only one still in custody, more than three years after the alleged coup attempt in which eleven people died, according to the Guinean authorities.
The rear admiral is still awaiting trial at the High Military Court, which has already scheduled and postponed the start of the hearing several times, with a new date scheduled for 17 October.
Bubo was present for the press statements, but only his lawyer spoke, explaining that his client “is free, subject to the obligation to remain in the country” and that “if he wants to leave, he has to ask the authorities for authorisation”.
The lawyer now hopes that, in the trial, the rear admiral will be acquitted, considering that the defendants in the same case and under the same conditions were acquitted. “He was charged together with three Navy officers, who have a lower rank and were tried by the Bissau regional court,” he pointed out.
The trial process began with more than 50 defendants but ultimately split into two, with those holding higher military ranks, such as rear admirals, being tried separately by a higher court.
The case dates back to 1 February 2022, when a group of armed men entered the Government Palace in Bissau, where a cabinet meeting was being held in the presence of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. (Photo by SAMBA BALDE / AFP)
The trial, which continued at the Regional Military Court, concluded in February 2025 with the sentencing of 14 soldiers to prison terms ranging from 12 to 29 years. At the same time, the court ordered the release of several defendants, particularly those who had not been charged, and all were released.
Bubo Na Tchuto was the only one to remain in prison until Monday. The case dates back to 1 February 2022, when a group of armed men entered the Government Palace in Bissau, where a cabinet meeting was being held in the presence of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
The episode resulted in the death of eleven people and the arrest of more than 50 suspects, including military personnel and civilians.
The regime accused Rear Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto of leading the armed group targeting the Guinean head of state, while some sectors in Bissau labelled the episode “an attempt” used as a pretext to create a presidential armed force and strengthen Sissoco Embaló’s power.
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