In a statement expressing its position on combating corruption in Angola, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) congratulates the European Parliament for scheduling a debate on money laundering this Wednesday, “at a time when Angola is at the center of worldwide attention, due to the magnitude of the scandalous level of corruption that plagues the country ”that was revealed through the journalistic investigation known as 'Luanda Leaks'.
UNITA says that “corruption has been part of the culture of the ruling Party [the MPLA] since the dawn of independence”, so the content of the documents revealed by the consortium of journalists who investigated the financial schemes that helped the daughter of the ex-president Angolan, Isabel dos Santos, building a millionaire empire, did not surprise the party in any way.
"UNITA has always been at the forefront of the fight against corruption, having made, over the years, several pronouncements on the subject", the statement added, invoking the various parliamentary commissions of inquiry requested and refused, namely: Banco Espírito Santo of Angola in 2013; to Sonangol, in 2016; to the Sovereign Fund of Angola and to Public Debt, also in 2018.
“The so-called“ Luanda Leaks ”only confirmed what UNITA, personalities from civil society and sectors of the international community, have been denouncing over and over again”, reinforces the 'Black Cock' party asking that “the fight against corruption be done in a quick and generalized way, holding all corrupt people accountable, without exception ”.
UNITA stresses that the "bleeding" of Angolan resources "through various fraudulent devices, such as the illicit transfer of public money to private entities", has increased the public debt "exponentially", undermining the confidence of state institutions and making it unsustainable the business environment.
"Such devices have allowed the lack of transparency in works contracts, favoritism, friendship, nepotism, theft and business with themselves", criticizes the party, stressing that the facts that exposed the origin of Isabel's empire dos Santos, “one of the many fortunes built on the basis of looting the treasury, have to deserve due and full treatment by the judicial bodies”.
