Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino”, an Angolan military officer who was identified as one of the richest and most influential men in the regime of former President José Eduardo dos Santos and was linked to communications at the Presidency of the Republic, is one of the defendants in the case involving Sonangol, China International Fund (CIF) and former high-ranking State figures, and began to be heard by the court this Wednesday.
The hearing questioned generals Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior “Kopelipa”, who had been questioned since Monday, and Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino”, trusted men of José Eduardo dos Santos (now deceased), both accused, as co-authors, of the crimes of embezzlement, fraud by defrauding, criminal association, abuse of power, document forgery, money laundering and influence peddling.
"Dino" stressed that in 2002, he was the commander of the fixed communications center of the Presidency of the Republic and the missions he received were assigned to him by the Security Office of the President of the Republic.
He claimed to know the company CIF, but said he did not know how it was formed, and was asked, in 2016, to be part of the process of restructuring, regularizing and legalizing the projects of this company, which were "abandoned" in Angola.
At the time, the then vice president of the Republic, Manuel Vicente, who was the coordinator of the cooperation relationship with China, is said to have said that the CIF projects were abandoned, he reported.
According to General "Dino", in 2016, he was part of a delegation, which included Francisco de Lemos (who was chairman of the Board of Directors of Sonangol), that went to Singapore at the request of Manuel Vicente.
"Dino" stressed that the former President of the Republic had also outlined what they had to do to support the CIF group, which “helped Angola a lot when the reconstruction process began” in 2002, after the end of the armed conflict in the country.
When asked by reporting judge Anabela Valente if he was aware of the creation of the company China Sonangol International, the defendant replied that he was not.
In 2020, the two former strongmen of José Eduardo dos Santos had to hand over to the State several companies and buildings owned by CIF Angola, which included cement and beer factories, automobiles, a logistics center and office and housing buildings.
This Wednesday, during questioning, Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior “Kopelipa” said that he had accepted the request of the Attorney General of the Republic to collaborate with the justice system, handing over CIF's assets to the State, but that he would be “more attentive” to avoid misunderstandings.
“I know that there is a complaint against me from the Chinese side for having handed over 40 percent of the assets,” said “Kopelipa,” referring to the share of Utter Right International Limited and Plansmart International Limited, companies that are also defendants in this case.
In a power of attorney, defendant “Dino” allegedly gave General “Kopelipa” powers to hand over 60 percent of the shares of IF – Investimentos Financeiros to the State.
Former vice-president and former leader of Sonangol Manuel Vicente is not among the defendants. His name is also absent from the list of 38 declarants, despite being mentioned in the case, in connection with his connections with CIF.
The former “boss” of the state-owned company, who enjoyed legal immunity for holders of public office for five years, after leaving the executive branch, is also the target of a criminal proceeding.
In the middle of the session, when General “Dino” was being questioned, the press was asked to leave the room, without an official justification, being informed only by an employee linked to the court's communications department that they could not continue following the trial.
