STM upholds conviction of civilians in Army Arsenal weapons diversion case

In the workshop, the weapons were then shown to Jonathan dos Santos, cousin of Corporal Tandu, who received the nine remaining firearms. According to the court file, the weapons were checked and then disassembled by Jonathan. The parts were left separated on the workshop floor. After that, Corporal Tandu left and, according to testimony cited in the lawsuit, said he needed to return to the barracks to finish his shift.

The account appears in a judicial case and describes how the firearms were handled after being brought to the workshop. Jonathan dos Santos reportedly took possession of the nine remaining weapons after they were presented to him. The record says he verified the armament before taking it apart, leaving the components scattered on the floor of the workplace.

The sequence detailed in the process suggests that the inspection and disassembly were carried out in an informal setting, inside the workshop, rather than in a controlled security environment. The court documents indicate that the weapons were not kept intact after the review, but instead were dismantled and placed in separate pieces on the ground. This detail is part of the evidence presented in the case.

Corporal Tandu, identified as Jonathan dos Santos’ cousin, then left the location. A testimony cited in the action states that he said he had to return to the barracks in order to complete his shift. The departure came after the firearms had been delivered and handled in the workshop.

The judicial record does not provide additional details in this excerpt about the origin of the weapons, the reason they were brought to the workshop, or what happened to the parts afterward. It does, however, show a chain of custody in which the firearms were presented, counted, checked, and disassembled in the presence of a relative of the corporal.

The episode may be relevant to the wider investigation because it documents who received the weapons and how they were treated once inside the workshop. The mention of nine remaining firearms suggests that other weapons may also have been involved, but the passage only specifies the handling of these nine. The testimony also places Corporal Tandu’s departure in the context of his duty obligations, as he said he needed to return to the barracks to finish his shift.

According to the court file, the disassembled pieces remained on the workshop floor after Jonathan dos Santos handled the armament. The excerpt ends there, leaving unanswered questions about whether the weapons were later reassembled, removed, or linked to further actions in the legal case.