In a statement released by his lawyer, the Portuguese manager, who worked with Isabel dos Santos, also targeted in the Sonangol case, uses the precedent that involved the former vice-president of Angola, Manuel Vicente, to ask for the principle of reciprocity.
“My defense doesn’t conflict with anyone else’s. Engineer Isabel dos Santos, who is Angolan, will defend herself in Angola. I, who am Portuguese, intend to defend myself in Portugal“, considers Mário Leite da Silva in the statement.
In the note, to which Lusa had access, the manager asks that Angola, “recognizing Portuguese sovereignty just as Portugal recognized Angolan sovereignty in the Manuel Vicente process”, accepts the transfer of its part in the process to Portugal.
“There is already a precedent, I just ask for equal treatment”, he emphasizes.
At issue is the criminal case in which Isabel dos Santos (for 12 crimes) and other managers are accused of acts carried out within the scope of the Sonangol restructuring project, between 2016 and 2017.
According to the indictment to which Lusa had access, Isabel dos Santos was accused of embezzlement, qualified fraud, abuse of power, abuse of trust, forgery of documents, criminal association, economic participation in business, influence peddling, tax fraud, qualified tax fraud (one crime each) and two money laundering crimes.
In addition to the former President's daughter, the accused are Paula Oliveira, friend and partner (six crimes), her former manager and friend Mário Leite da Silva (six crimes), her former financial administrator at Sonangol Sarju Raikundalia (nine crimes) and the consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) (two crimes).
In the statement released this Friday, Mário Leite da Silva recalls that in the case of Manuel Vicente “there were other people involved and that this “not only did not prevent the transfer of the case to Angola, but also allowed the trial of Portuguese defendants in Portugal”.
“Over the last four years, Mário Leite da Silva presented several requests - to which he attached extensive documentation - and never received any response from the Angolan authorities”, recalls the note.
The manager also says he is considering the possibility of requesting the instruction phase in Portugal.
The request presented to the Angolan authorities – he adds – “was sent to the Attorney General of the Republic of Portugal for information, as the request made by this entity to the Angolan judicial authorities for the certificate of the indictment handed down was public”.
According to the indictment in the Sonangol case, dated January 11, the defendants caused the Angolan State a loss of more than 208 million dollars, divided between 176 million dollars (169 million euros), 39 million euros and around 94 million of kwanzas, involving unduly paid salaries, loss-making sales, tax fraud and fraudulent payments to companies.
The Public Ministry points out several irregularities, including a parallel management scheme and contracts signed with companies linked to Isabel dos Santos, through which illegal payments were made.
For the prosecution, within the scope of her administration and taking advantage of her status as the daughter of the President (who passed away in 2022), Isabel dos Santos “duly agreed with the defendants Mário Silva, Sarju Raikundalia and Paula Oliveira, meticulously created a plan to defraud vigorously the Angolan State, persuading the Board of Directors to take decisions that benefited them”.
In the note Mário Leite da Silva says that he has not yet been personally notified of the accusation.
