A Swedish national, wanted by Interpol and who held a diplomatic passport as a special counselor to the President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, was arrested by the Judiciary Police of São Tomé and Príncipe, on the island of Príncipe, a judicial source told Lusa on Monday.
The arrest occurred hours after information circulated on social media that an Interpol team had been in São Tomé for the capture of the advisor, which was denied by a judicial source, who assured that there is an Interpol brigade that operates within the São Toméan National Police and that coordinated the arrest.
The Presidency of the Republic also reacted through a statement published onFacebookSure, please provide the text in Portuguese that you would like translated to English.
“After the appointment of a certain individual as a Special Advisor to the President of the Republic, the Presidency was informed by the individual himself that a personal judicial process was underway in a foreign country, which was entirely unrelated to the functions he performed at the Presidency, and in which his name was mentioned,” reads the statement.
The note also states that, after this information, “the President of the Republic decided to relieve the individual in question of his Special Advisor functions, which he did through Presidential Decree No. 06/2026, dated February 4.”
According to a passport photo circulating on social media, the man is named Carlsson Stig Karl-Magnus, was born on January 8, 1964, and has Swedish nationality.
The diplomatic passport was issued on December 5, 2025, and is valid until December 4, 2030.
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The São Toméan PJ promised to provide official information about the matter throughout the day, after forwarding the case in coordination with Interpol.
As early as April 2022, in a similar situation, the President of São Tomé dismissed a special advisor of German nationality amid reports of his alleged involvement in influence peddling.
At the time, the São Toméan head of state justified the decision with the need to “protect the external image” of São Tomé and Príncipe in light of news indicating that the dismissed individual was “under investigation.”
Stephan Welk had been appointed on January 27 of the same year to provide “specialized technical information” to Carlos Vila Nova in the context of international relations, in order to allow him, “in coordination with the Government, to find plausible mechanisms that enable the search for better solutions for the socioeconomic development of the country,” according to the presidential decree of appointment.
