The news was released by the Financial Times and confirmed by Lusa with a source linked to the process, according to which the participation of Leviev International – LLI (China), which holds 18 percent of the mining company, was blocked in 2021 and its control transferred to IGAPE.
With this change, Angola, which was already the majority shareholder through Endiama (state-owned diamond company), now holds 59 percent of Catoca's shares, with the remaining 41 percent being held by Russian giant Alrosa.
According to the Financial Times, LLI is linked to China Sonangol, which told the newspaper that it currently has no relationship with Sam Pa, a Chinese businessman close to Sonangol's former president and former vice president, Manuel Vicente, who is said to be an intermediary in numerous deals. sale of oil, through the China International Fund.
Sam Pa was arrested in early October 2015 at a hotel in the Chinese capital, with no further information about his whereabouts since that date.
In 2020, the PGR of Angola seized the CIF Luanda One and CIF Luanda Two buildings, located in the capital, as well as more than a thousand unfinished properties, buildings, shipyards and land, in the Vida Pacífica urbanization (Zango Zero) and in Kilamba, within the scope of the Law on Coercive Repatriation and Extended Loss of Property and the Law Regulating Searches, Searches and Seizures.
The properties were in the possession of the companies China International Fund – CIF, Limited (CIF Hong Kong) and China International Fund Angola – CIF, Limited.
CIF Limited is a Chinese private company based in Hong Kong and with an office in Beijing, founded in 2003 to finance national reconstruction and infrastructure development projects in developing countries, mainly in Africa.
The Lusa agency contacted the PGR to have more details about the ongoing process and the reasons that led to the decision to block LLI's participation, with no response so far.
