"It is in the public domain that the national oil company was at the origin of the creation of the said insurance company, a fact sufficient to continue with extra attention the process recently launched around it", highlights Sonangol in a statement.
The oil company adds that it has cooperated with the justice agencies, providing "all the information that matters for clarifying the facts" with "total transparency".
Sonangol is "available to answer the legal questions inherent to clarifying the process, but limiting its performance to the imperatives of justice and public service", the company also points out.
The businessman Carlos São Vicente, married to one of the daughters of the first President, António Agostinho Neto, was constituted accused last Wednesday, on suspicion of crimes of embezzlement, economic participation in business, influence peddling and money laundering.
At issue is the freezing of a bank account of Carlos São Vicente in Switzerland, with about 900 million dollars, for suspected money laundering, according to a Swiss blog that tracks judicial issues in that country, citing an order from the Public Prosecutor's Office. Switzerland.
Angolan judicial authorities have already ordered the seizure of several buildings belonging to the AAA group, owned by businessman Carlos São Vicente. Carlos São Vicente is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and majority shareholder of the insurance companyAAA, registered in Angola, Bermuda and the United Kingdom.
According to Jornal de Angola, Carlos São Vicente holds a stake in AAA Seguros SA of almost 90 percent of the shares, with another 10 percent falling to Sonangol and 0.11 percent to BAI bank, having obtained from the Government, at the time led by José Eduardo dos Santos, an agreement relating to all oil insurance activities in Angola that allowed him to secure a profitable monopoly between 2000 and 2016.
The oil insurance monopoly is said to have cost the state about $ 2.5 billion, according to Valor newspaper accounts.
Meanwhile, AAA Seguros, which became the second largest insurance company in the country and was founded by Sonangol, saw its dissolution and liquidation process started by the Ministry of Finance in January this year.
