Angola's $500m fraud probe: Army chief and ruling party spokesman also accused

Angola’s $500 million fraud probe which has affected the son of former president dos Santos and a former central bank chief also hit two other persons.

According the local Angop news portal, even though reports widely focused on Jose Filomeno dos Santos and Valter Filipe da Silva; the ruling MPLA’s spokesperson and current army chief of staff are also mentioned.

“The current chief of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA), General of the Army Geraldo Sachipengo Nunda, was also accused by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR),” the Angop report said.

The four main persons have since been charged with fraud relating to a September 2017 transaction of $500 million from the central bank, BNA, to an account at Credit Suisse in London.

Angola charges son of ex-president dos Santos with fraud – state radio https://t.co/zqYeSkGzWD

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Reports indicate that British authorities have since frozen the said amount and also reiterated their preparedness to return the amount to the government of Angola.

According to Deputy Attorney General Luis Benza Zanga, all accused persons are also barred from leaving the country as the case continues.

Dos Santos is the highest profile figure to be charged since President Joao Lourenco succeeded former leader Jose Eduardo dos Santos last September vowing to tackle an endemic culture of corruption.

Jose Filomeno had led Angola’s sovereign wealth fund during his father’s tenure. Mr Dos Santos was the second of the former president’s children to be dismissed by Mr Lourenço. His sister Isabel was removed as head of the state oil company Sonangol last year.