The Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Tomé and Príncipe carried out searches at the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Water and Electricity Company (EMAE) over indications of multiple crimes in the purchase of generators, according to a document obtained by Lusa.
The search warrant targeted “the seizure of all files and other items (physical or electronic) related to the purchase of generator sets for EMAE’s thermal power plants, carried out from January 2025 to the present date.”
The warrant ordered the seizure of “all documents, electronic devices, and anything else that may be relevant to the case or related to the generator procurement processes, all evidentiary elements of potential crimes such as mismanagement, misconduct, embezzlement, or economic participation in business.”
According to a source from the Prosecutor’s Office, the operation took place on Wednesday.
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In a Facebook post, the Attorney General’s Office announced the opening of a criminal case on Friday “following the facts made public by the former Director of EMAE, Raúl Cravid, which indicate the possible commission of criminal offenses in the acquisition of public assets.”
In February, days after being dismissed, former Emae director Raúl Cravid reported that four generators delivered to the country that month, supposedly new and with a capacity of 10 megawatts as announced by the government, were in fact not new, had only about 7 megawatts, and were allegedly overpriced.
After nearly a month of silence on the matter, Prime Minister Américo Ramos acknowledged the validity of the report last week.
“In that group initially announced as 10 megawatts, the ones that arrived are about 7 megawatts. More will arrive to complete the 10 megawatts we negotiated with the partner to supply us,” said Ramos.
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The Prime Minister added that the generators were acquired through a partner under the “citizenship by investment or donation” program, with reimbursement to be made later by the government.
“At this moment, no payment has been made for these generators […]. The real value will be assessed according to the market, and then the government will assume the payment,” Ramos said, rejecting claims of overpricing reported by the former Emae director.
According to the Prime Minister, the generators have not yet been installed and are awaiting specialists sent by the “partner” to certify their capacity and actual condition before adjustments to the national grid.
Ramos promised to make all information regarding the purchase and status of the generators publicly available.
The energy crisis has resurfaced in São Tomé and Príncipe with frequent and prolonged power cuts since August last year, after Tesla STP, a Turkish-invested company, unilaterally suspended its contract of around €455,000 per month, citing debts accumulated by the São Toméan authorities.
