The president of Angola said on Tuesday that “it’s time” for other countries to join Angola’s efforts in the fight against corruption, announcing a request to various nations, including Portugal, to return almost $2 billion.
João Lourenço addressed the country at the opening of the parliamentary year in the National Assembly with his message on the State of the Nation. He said that the moralisation of society and the fight against corruption remain at the top of the government’s priorities. He valued the results achieved, which have translated into 323 criminal cases, 47 of which are already on trial.
According to the president, since August 2023, the government’s actions have made it possible to recover real estate, shareholdings and financial resources valued at more than $1.8 billion (€1.65 billion) and the restitution of a further $1.9 billion (€1.74 billion) has been requested from Portugal, Bermuda, Switzerland, Singapore, Luxembourg, Namibia and the United Arab Emirates following court cases with final judgements.
The Attorney General’s Office has ordered the seizure and requested the attachment of assets and financial resources totalling $950 million (€870.5 million), a substantial part of which is abroad, João Lourenço continued, stressing that “Angola has made a huge effort to fight corruption and recover assets”.
“It’s time to demand that the various states, which were the destinations of the illicitly acquired resources, join the effort that our country has been making and make these resources that belong to the Angolan people available so that they can be put at the service of the national economy,” declared the President, who was effusively applauded.
The head of state addressed the challenges in the justice sector, which include increasing availability and improving services and reforming the justice system, highlighting the inauguration of three new district courts and the hiring of new judges, prosecutors and court staff.
Another objective is the creation of the General Court Vault, which he considered an “important instrument for affirming the administrative autonomy of the courts, within the framework of the principle of budgetary unity”. He also approved the new statute for judicial magistrates and public prosecutors and the new remuneration statute, in line with the ongoing effort to improve working conditions.
João Lourenço said that the “most emergency phase” of the fight against corruption has been “overcome” and will now be followed by “more structured and coordinated action”, emphasising staff training and preventative measures.
