Africa-Press – Angola. The Minister of Justice and Human Rights pointed out that, in the context of the fight against corruption and impunity, 715 criminal proceedings are underway on embezzlement, active and passive corruption, money laundering, undue receipt of advantages, economic participation in business , tax fraud and other types of economic and financial crimes.
Speaking at the Regional Seminar on the Accelerated Monitoring of the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which runs from Monday until today in Cape Town, South Africa, the minister stressed that in the context of the crusade against these evils, recovered, in the last three years, by the National Service for the Recovery of Assets of the Attorney General’s Office, movable and immovable property constituted with public funds or criminal proceeds, more than 6 thousand and 773 million dollars.
In the same period, he continued, more than 5,329 million dollars were recovered in cash and assets, of which more than 2,709 million dollars and more than 2,620 million dollars in movable and immovable property such as factories, buildings, shareholdings, centralities, among others, domiciled in the country.
He added that, in the same period, they were apprehended and/or arrested outside the country, namely in Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, Bermuda, United Kingdom, Monaco, Luxembourg, among other countries, in cash and goods, valued at 6,157 million dollars. “The total of seizures and recovery, in the country and abroad, amounts to 11,486,042,997.22 dollars”, he clarified.
Despite the progress made in the fight against corruption, Francisco Queiroz said that Angola is aware that it still has a long way to go, to overcome the barriers and overcome the trauma caused by this evil.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) praised the results achieved by Angola in the fight against corruption, asset recovery and widespread loss of property in favor of the State, in less than three years.
The institution expressed its recognition during a meeting with the Angolan delegation, headed by the Minister of Justice and Human Rights, Francisco Queiroz, on the sidelines of the seminar.
The Office, which focuses on combating illicit drug trafficking and abuse, crime prevention and Criminal Justice, International Terrorism and political corruption, expressed an interest in serving as an intermediary and facilitator in dialogue with the Governments of the countries receiving Angola’s assets. , in order to help in the recovery of your assets that are abroad.
As part of the fight against corruption and the reform of the judicial system underway in the country, the UN Office was also available to provide specialized technical assistance in training, capacity building and in the financing of specific projects, namely in the computerization of the courts and training at the National Institute of Judicial Studies (INEJ), in the wake of the PRO-REAT program, approved in November 2021. UNODC also intends to support Angola in the field of protecting species and forest resources, as well as combating illicit trafficking of woods.
Government Actions
The Minister of Justice and Human Rights, who represents, at the event, the Minister of State and head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, shared the actions of the Government, from 2017 until now, in the field of combating corruption. .
Francisco Queiroz announced that, in addition to the international legal instruments ratified by Angola, other “important” diplomas and reinforced State institutions aimed at fighting corruption and related crimes were also approved.
In this regard, the minister highlighted the laws on Public Probity, Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Voluntary Repatriation of State Assets, the Widespread Loss of Assets in favor of the State by Illicit Enrichment, Protection of Victims, Witnesses and Collaborating Defendants, the new Penal Code, which sets out the classification of crimes that prevent the practice of corruption and the use of State money for personal purposes.
In terms of strengthening institutions, the Minister of Justice and Human Rights referred to the creation of the National Directorate for Combating Corruption Crimes (in the Criminal Investigation Service), the creation of the National Directorate for Preventing and Combating Corruption (in the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic), carrying out sectoral campaigns to raise awareness, moralize and increase good practices at the national level and the elaboration and approval, at the 9th Conference of States Parties against Corruption, held in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, of the Resolution presented by Angola entitled “Strengthening the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption at Regional Level”.
This initiative was co-sponsored by Egypt, Honduras, Portugal, Switzerland and supported by Brazil, Kiribati, Dominican Republic, Mozambique, Lebanon, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, European Union, Norway, Canada, Nigeria, Ghana, Belgium, Morocco, Oman , United States of America and Saudi Arabia.
“The fight against corruption has remained at the center of the Executive’s priorities since 2017, when President João Lourenço inaugurated, in September, the new political cycle, establishing this goal of political, economic and social development, as he noted that the phenomenon of corruption slows down socio-economic development and prevents countries and companies from realizing their full potential”, he stressed.
Francisco Queiroz stressed that it was because of these actions that Angola was ranked second among the six countries with significant progress in the 2017-2021 period in terms of preventing and fighting corruption by Transparency International last year.
In terms of law enforcement, he made it known that the Attorney General’s Office has initiated a systematic action against agents who indicate the practice of crimes of corruption, money laundering, embezzlement and other crimes against the assets of the Angolan State.
praise from the United Nations
In the intervention, the representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Brigitte Strobel-Shaw, spoke of the need for ratification, by some member countries, of the regional platform for the implementation of rapid access, in order to accelerate the effective implementation. of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
On this subject, Francisco Queiroz said that experts from the United Nations and the evaluating countries are currently in the country, namely Guinea-Conakry and the Maldives Islands, to carry out the evaluation of the second cycle of the examination of the implementation of the mechanism of United Nations Convention against Corruption. In Angola, the group in charge of carrying out studies and preparing proposals and mechanisms for implementing the United Nations Convention in the legal system is coordinated by the Minister of State and head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida.
The regional seminar, which ends today, will focus on the theme “Transformation of society through anti-corruption innovation in public procurement and protection of whistleblowers”.
The event follows the actions arising from the conference held in October 2019 in Livingstone, Zambia, of which Angola was a part. It aims to build and foster partnerships through the creation of regional platforms for accelerating the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, leveraging capacities and knowledge to identify viable reform priorities and practices in support of the Goal of Sustainable development.
The Angolan delegation includes representatives of the Ministry of Finance, through the National Public Procurement Service, the Attorney General’s Office and the Criminal Investigation Services.
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