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PGR opened investigation against Isabel dos Santos in March 2018

The Attorney General's Office (PGR) opened an investigation in March 2018 into the public complaint by Sonangol's current administration about allegedly irregular money transfers during Isabel dos Santo's management of the oil company.

Manuel Araújo:

The inquiry is headed by the National Directorate for Prevention and Fight against Corruption, then informed Lusa the PGR, explaining that the case was opened after statements by the chairman of the oil company's board of directors, Carlos Saturnino, on "irregular money transfers ordered by Sonangol's previous administration and other incorrect procedures".

In early February 2018, the President announced that he would ask KPMG to audit the group's accounts, budgeted at 15.4 million euros, bypassing PwC, the consultant chosen by Isabel dos Santos, who left the oil company's management in November 2017.

On that occasion, according to an order signed by the President, João Lourenço, on 6 February and to which Lusa had access, the deal, authorised in the document, is justified "by force" of the identification of a "supervening situation of conflict of interest", which forced Sonangol to "cancel the award of the contract for the provision of audit services to the auditor that was initially envisaged for the hiring".

Isabel dos Santos was chairman of Sonangol's board of directors between June 2016 and November 2017, until she was exonerated by the new President of the Republic, João Lourenço, who reinstated Carlos Saturnino as head of the oil company.

On 28 February 2018, Carlos Saturnino accused the outgoing administration - led by Isabel dos Santos - of having authorised a transfer of 38 million dollars after her resignation.

"We took office on 16 November 2017 and on that day, at night, we realised that the administrator who was in charge of finances in Sonangol, although he had been exonerated on the 15th, ordered a transfer of 38 million dollars to Matter Business Solution, based in Dubai", he denounced.

At the February 2018 press conference, Carlos Saturnino said the transfer was made through BIC bank, "which has become one of Sonangol's preferred banks".

"I don't think that warrants comment. It was not the only case. On November 17th, four more invoices were paid as well. That is, how people who had been exonerated by the government were still making transfers. It can't be an act of absolute good faith," said then Carlos Saturnino.

Regarding situations that the new administration of the company found when it took over the management, from 16 November 2017, Carlos Saturnino listed announcements of stoppages by service providers for lack of payments, including seven months' delay to a subcontractor of Sonangol Shipping and Refinery of Luanda, a matter that was resolved immediately.

Carlos Saturnino also cited "alarming risks" for lack of maintenance in several Sonangol buildings, namely in elevators, generators, air conditioning, resulting from debts to service providers since part of 2015, 2016 and 2017.

"There is a huge amount of debt, we have had very alarming situations and we still have. There's also a considerable amount of debt from service providers in those three years", said the administrator.

Also according to Carlos Saturnino, Sonangol has billions of kwanzas of fines and interest, which the General Tax Administration attributed to the company for non-payment of customs duties, taxes and the like, for much of the year 2017, ensuring that they are being resolved in installments.

All this information led to the opening of the PGR investigation, which will now include the final results of the audit.

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