"There were known signs that the BNA acted", said José de Lima Massano, at a press conference in Luanda, without wanting to detail in which cases, after being asked about the revelations of Isabel dos Santos' financial schemes, to build her empire, denounced in an investigation known as 'Luanda Leaks'.
The governor indicated that this action "has rules", explaining that in the case of commercial banks, any operation considered suspicious requires a declaration transmitted to the financial information unit.
"We exercise to ensure that the rules we have in force on the matter, commercial banks have the knowledge and instruments necessary to ensure compliance", added the BNA official, noting that "remarkable progress" has been made in the preparation commercial banking with regard to money laundering.
Lima Massano stressed that this work is continuing and that, in 2021 and 2022, an evaluation will be made by the financial action group, focusing on the resilience of the financial system in combating practices that violate these principles.
"The regulations, the practices that we have go in this direction, to protect our financial institutions against financial crimes of the most varied order", he said.
The BNA governor stated that he learned about the revelations of the International Investigative Journalists Consortium "probably in the same way that most people learned about" and admitted that the 'Luanda Leaks' revealed news, as he did not know the "intricacies" of the schemes. The official declined, however, to specify what was new.
Lima Massano considered that it is up to the “justice bodies to do their job” and stressed that the BNA “has a set of actions underway that aim to improve the whole process that has to do with the suitability of those who invest” in the Angolan financial system “and those who are in charge of its management”.
The governor said that there is a set of rules that will be published this year to improve procedures and an adjustment will also be made in light of the new law to combat money laundering.
"If we have relevant information that could jeopardize the stability of our financial system, the regulator is ready to act and intervene", he stressed.
