Luanda, ANGOLA, February 22 - The case involving the former CEO of the Angolan Oil company (SONANGOL), Isabel dos Santos, will proceed in the coming weeks to the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Penal Action (DNIAP).,

According to the national Director of Anti-Corruption Prevention and Control, Inocência Pinto, in an exclusive interview with Angop on Thursday, the preliminary investigation has already been completed and should be sent to DNIAP for the appropriate preparatory instruction in the criminal process.

This investigation was initiated by the Attorney General's Office on March 2, 2018 to investigate complaints concerning a transfer of over USD 38 million, allegedly ordered by Isabel dos Santos, after after her dismissal from Sonangol management Board of Directors.

Regarding the process of capital repatriation, the national director of prevention and anti-corruption, Inocência Pinto, announced that citizens who voluntarily repatriate capital during the coercive phase of the process may benefit from a mitigating factor.

The Law on Repatriation of Financial Resources Domiciled Abroad, proposed by the Head of the Angolan Executive, João Lourenço, was approved by the Angolan Parliament in May 2018.

Inocência Pinto recalled that since the adoption of the Law on Repatriation of Financial Resources Domiciled Abroad, by the Parliament, the the Attorney General's Office created the National Asset Recovery Service in charge of recovering the state assets.

However, the national Director of Anti-Corruption Prevention and Control denied the existence in Angola of a selective process of investigation against political figures.

The crusade against corruption in Angola is one of the priorities of the Angolan authorities, which in recent years have been adopting legislative and executive measures to combat money laundering, embezzlement, fraud, bribery and other crimes.

 

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