"We have not received any legal action; there was, of course, a verbal accusation, but nothing has yet come to us", said Gerard Ryle, during a press conference taking place this Friday in Lisbon, gathering figures linked to whistleblower Rui Pinto, who defend their release.
On January 17, businesswoman Isabel dos Santos said she would take legal action against the consortium of journalists that released the 'Luanda Leaks' investigation, reaffirming the lawful origin of the investments she made in Portugal.
"I refute the unsubstantiated allegations and false assertions and inform you that initiated the proceedings for legal actions against ICIJ [International Investigative Journalism Consortium) and ICIJ partners, which will be conducted by the international law firm Schillings Partners", said Isabel dos Santos.
The businesswoman, accused in Angola of Sonangol's mismanagement and embezzlement, considers that she was "the target of a campaign [...] orchestrated by several media outlets".
"Images and documents, misinterpreted and allegedly based on e-mails criminally obtained through hacking, were selectively used to build a misleading narrative about my companies, investments and work in general", he said.
Isabel dos Santos regretted what she considers "irresponsible actions by some journalists that [...] triggered a human tragedy and neglected the respect for the right to privacy".
The businesswoman, who after the revelations of the journalistic investigation has announced her intention to sell her stakes in several Portuguese companies, guaranteed that none of these investments were made with "funds of illicit origin".
"The investments made in Portugal were constituted by legal funds, having been respected the procedures of the National Bank of Angola (BNA) with regard to the capital export licensing", he said.
"The companies I operate with are legitimate, pay taxes, and none have ever been convicted of criminal activity", he added.
The International Investigative Journalism Consortium (ICIJ) revealed, on January 19th, more than 715 thousand files, under the name 'Luanda Leaks', which detail alleged financial schemes of Isabel dos Santos and her husband, Sindika Dokolo, which will have allowed to withdraw money from the national public purse through tax havens.
