Africa-Press – Angola. The Attorney General of the Republic, Hélder Pitta Groz, confirmed this Tuesday, in the province of Cunene, the introduction in court, within 10 days, of the criminal case against Isabel dos Santos, accused of several crimes during her management of the oil company Sonangol.
The prosecutor, who was speaking on the sidelines of the closing of the IV extended meeting of the southern judicial region of the PGR, said that the preparatory investigation of the case has been completed and the indictment has been drawn up, which at the end of the period will go to court.
He informed that the lawyers have already been notified in this process, and that they are just waiting for their reaction before taking legal action and that “for now, everything remains a secret from the courts”.
Hélder Pitta Groz clarified that the process included three Portuguese citizens who were members of the team that worked with Isabel dos Santos as president of the Board of Directors of Sonangol.
Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos is accused of 11 crimes in the case, which involves her management at the Angolan state oil company, between 2016 and 2017.
She is accused of embezzlement, qualified fraud, abuse of power, abuse of trust, falsification of documents, criminal association, economic participation in business, influence peddling, money laundering, tax and qualified fraud.
On June 3, 2016, Isabel dos Santos was appointed president of the Board of Directors of Sonangol, a structure that also included Sarju Raikundalia, initially a non-executive director, before becoming executive in charge of the oil company’s financial management, at a time in which he held shares in the consultancy company PwC.
New magistrates strengthen southern judicial region
At the closing of the fourth expanded meeting of the PGR, the Attorney General of the Republic, Hélder Pitta Groz, assured the reinforcement of new magistrates in the southern judicial region, with the purpose of guaranteeing greater speed and compliance with judicial actions.
Currently, the PGR has 68 public prosecutors in the southern region, including two at the coordination headquarters, 16 in Cunene, 11 in Cuando Cubango, 26 in Huíla and 13 in Namibe.
The attorney general admitted the lack of magistrates, a fact that will require an increase in staff and improvements in working conditions, in order to improve direct contact with the population and ensure better response to problems.
Without specifying numbers, he stated that the placement of new prosecutors is imminent, taking into account the dynamism of the procedural action and the current challenges.
Pitta Groz recalled that the PGR’s regional judicial coordinators, as entities that monitor and resolve problems in each area of jurisdiction, will help to standardize labor procedures in the provinces that make up the areas they manage.
Hélder Pitta Groz called for more engagement and communication between provincial holders and coordinators, who must always try to do their best in their work to dignify and maintain the spirit of acceptance of the PGR.
He also highlighted the importance of holding the Workshop on “cattle theft in the southern region of Angola”, as an aspect that most worries communities so that together they can find viable solutions to combat such practices.
Furthermore, he considered the balance of the work carried out by the body in 2023 to be positive, taking into account the number of existing magistrates.
During 2023, the PGR in the southern Judicial Region initiated 24,777 criminal, civil, administrative, family, labor and minor criminal cases, of which 5,077 were sent to the courts.
The two-day meeting analyzed the functioning of SIGNUP, the impact of the Guarantee judge’s actions on the activity of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the management of preventive detention periods, analysis of appeals filed with the court of second instance.
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