Luanda, April 16, 2026 (Lusa) – Angola's General Tax Administration (AGT) announced on Thursday that it had identified illicit practices involving its own employees, amounting to one billion kwanzas (€925,000), and it has referred the case for criminal investigation.
Internal control procedures at the AGT identified these illicit practices, which carry potential criminal liability and strong evidence of staff involvement, according to a statement released on Thursday. The public institution said that the evidence points to "conduct harmful to the public treasury", in clear violation of the principles of legality, ethics, and integrity that govern public administration and the AGT’s specific role in tax management.
The AGT’s ability to identify and investigate fraudulent practices "has improved due to effective process mapping and the introduction of intelligence mechanisms to monitor fraud risks," the statement said. Angola's tax administration remains committed to a zero-tolerance policy regarding illicit practices, and it has submitted evidence of the attempted fraud, totalling over one billion kwanzas, to the competent authorities.
"These values were duly identified during the collection process, thus safeguarding this revenue," it said.
"As the evidence has been sent to criminal investigation bodies, the AGT will refrain from providing further information out of respect for the principle of judicial secrecy and current legal norms," it said. The tax body said that it would maintain a firm and relentless stance against any illicit practices, whether by its staff, taxpayers, or external entities, while continuing to strengthen its control and detection mechanisms.
AGT Chairperson José Leiria told major taxpayers on Monday that the body had introduced intelligence mechanisms to facilitate the identification of fraud, which would be reported to the authorities whenever detected.
Angolan courts recently convicted a group of high-ranking AGT officials for embezzlement, computer forgery, receiving undue advantages, and money laundering.
That fraudulent scheme involved illegal collections from companies and the issuance of undue VAT refunds, causing losses to the state estimated at approximately 13.5 billion kwanzas (€12.5 million).
DAS/RYOL // ADB.
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