The Public Prosecutor’s Office (PO) will send a writ of rogatory to Angola asking it to indict businesswoman Isabel dos Santos in a case relating to her leadership at the Sonangol oil company, the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) said.
According to the PGR, in response to the Lusa Agency after the filing of charges in Angola, “and as part of the investigation conducted by the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DCIAP), the department will send a letter of request to Angola requesting In addition, in addition, a certificate of the pending charge will be sent “.
“Only after receiving and analyzing this certificate will you be able to take a position, […] assessing the possible overlap, in whole or in part, between the subjects of the investigation in relation to the crimes attributed to the persons who are the subjects of the DCIAP investigation,” the PGR added.
The MP also said that “there are nine investigations underway at DCIAP that directly or indirectly target Isabel dos Santos.”
PGR recalled that Portugal is bound by international treaties on cooperation in the field of criminal justice, namely the Convention on Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the member states of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP).
“That’s why, [está] committed himself to perform certain acts that were required of him” and that “the only reasons for non-cooperation are those provided for” in the convention, he explained.
In an interview with Rádio Essencial de Angola after the indictment came to light, businesswoman Isabel dos Santos accused Angolan authorities of issuing “direct orders” and instructions to their Portuguese counterparts in court cases involving her in both countries.
In this case, Isabel dos Santos is charged with embezzlement, qualified fraud, abuse of power, breach of trust, forgery, criminal association, economic participation in a business, trading in influence, tax fraud, qualified tax fraud (one offense) and two related offenses. money laundering.
In addition to the daughter of former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos, the accused are Paula Oliveira, friend and associate (six offences), her former manager and friend Mario Leite da Silva (six offences), her former financial administrator at Sonangol Saryu Raikundalia (nine offences) and consulting company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) (two crimes).
According to the January 11 ruling, the defendants caused damages to the Angolan state of more than $208 million (€190 million), divided into $176 million (€169 million), €39 million and approximately 94 million kwanzas (€104 thousand) related with improper payment of wages, unprofitable sales, tax fraud and fraudulent payments to businesses.
Angolan Public Ministry, which analyzes in this document the management of Isabel dos Santos between June 2016 and November 2017, points to a number of irregularities, including a parallel management scheme and contracts concluded with related companies through which payments were made illegally .
According to the indictment, as part of her management and taking advantage of her status as the daughter of the President (who died in 2022), Isabel dos Santos “duly negotiated with the defendants Mario Silva, Saryu Raikundalia and Paula Oliveira, carefully created a plan to vigorously deceive the Angolan state, convincing the Board of Directors make decisions that benefit them.”
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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