The former manager of the BCI, who spoke as a declarant, revealed that the people who went to the bank to make millionaire deposits in Grecima's account looked like "street children. Money was deposited in kwanzas in the account of the office by people who looked like "homeless people," he added.
Filomeno Ceita, quoted by Jornal de Angola, revealed that this situation raised some suspicions, leading the bank to suspend the movements in the accounts that Grecima had at BCI.
He also indicated that the banking institution communicated the situation to the Financial Technical Unit and explained that as the account of the office was related to the General State Budget, it could only receive budget money and not deposits made by individuals.
The former manager also revealed that Grecima's account only had the signature of Manuel Rabelais, and confirmed that through the BCI, the office acquired foreign currency from the National Bank of Angola. According to the declarant the acquisition of foreign exchange was done through a central bank directive that managed the direct purchase of foreign exchange by state institutions.
Several transfers that Grecima tried to make abroad were rejected by banks abroad because they detected irregularities, he added.
Manuel Rabelais, former Minister of Social Communication, responds to charges of crimes of embezzlement, money laundering and violation of the rules of budget execution, committed between 2016 and 2017, when he still held the position of director of the now-defunct Grecima.
In the case, it is also defendant Hilário Santos, the then administrative assistant of Grecima. According to the indictment, Manuel Rabelais, aided by Hilário Santos, transformed the office into a currency exchange office, "soliciting companies and individuals to deposit kwanzas in exchange for foreign currency.
