Lisbon, March 10, 2025 (Lusa) - The trial of two Angolan generals accused of various offences, including influence peddling and money laundering, begins in the Angolan capital on Monday, after the first session was postponed in December.
The reason for the postponement was the failure to fulfil a legal formality, as the 15-day deadline for calling the hearing was not met.
In addition to General Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento "Dino"and Helder Vieira Dias "Kopelipa," figureslinkedtoformerPresidentJosé Eduardo dos Santos (now deceased), lawyer Fernando Gomes dos Santos, and representatives of the companies China International Fund Angola, Plansmart International Limited, and Utter Right International Limited are in the dock.
Generals Helder Vieira Dias Júnior, known as Kopelipa, and Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento, nicknamed Dino, and five other defendants, including three companies, will be tried for the crimes of influence peddling and money laundering, among others, in a case that also involves the Angolan branch of China International Fund, according to the indictment issued by the 4th section of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Angola, dated 20 December 2023, to which Lusa had access.
Former Angolan intelligence chief Manuel Helder Vieira Dias "Kopelipa" is accused of seven crimes: embezzlement, fraud by defrauding, document forgery, criminal association, influence peddling, abuse of power, and money laundering.
Former communications services chief Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento "Dino", lawyer Fernando Gomes dos Santos, and You Hai Ming, from China International Fund, will be charged with fraud, document forgery, criminal association, influence peddling, and money laundering.
The companies China International Fund Angola, Plansmart International Limited and Utter Right International Limited, which were accused of influence peddling, money laundering, fraud and document forgery, will only be held responsible for the first two crimes, since, at the time of the events, Angolan law did not provide for the criminalisation of the last two types of crime.
The defendants allegedly used the companies to set up a scheme that defrauded the Angolan state of millions of dollars, involving a financing agreement between Angola and China to support national reconstruction after the civil war that ended in 2002.
In 2020, the two former strongmen of José Eduardo dos Santos had to hand over to the state several companies and buildings owned by their companies China International Fund Angola - CIF and Cochan, S.A., including cement and beer factories, a supermarket chain and residential buildings.
Manuel Vicente, the former vice president of Angola and former head of Sonangol, is not among the defendants. His name is also absent from the list of more than 30 witnesses, despite being mentioned in the case concerning his links to CIF.
The former "boss" of Angola's state oil company, who enjoyed legal immunity for public office holders for five years after leaving the government, is also the target of criminal proceedings.
RCR/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
