The former director of the National Reconstruction Office (GRN), once one of the most powerful figures in the regime of former President José Eduardo dos Santos (now deceased), entered the court room shortly before 10 am to be heard behind closed doors, and did not provide statements to journalists.
"Kopelipa", who is accused of the crimes of embezzlement, fraud by defrauding, forgery of documents, criminal association, abuse of power, money laundering and influence peddling, listed 23 declarants and is defended by lawyer Amaral Gourgel, also defender of Fernando Gomes, accused in the same case.
The companies Plansmart International Limited and Utter Right International Limited, which also requested the opening of a contradictory instruction, are represented by Carlota Cambenje and Hama Vasco, from Benja Satula's office.
In this optional phase of the criminal investigation process, both the prosecution and the defense intervene directly as procedural parties and the defendants can also present evidence and arguments to the judge, in this case Nazaré Pascoal.
In the end, the investigating judge decides whether or not to confirm the Public Prosecutor's decision, and may decide to close the case or take the defendants to trial (a decision known as "indictment").
At the Supreme Court, in a different room from the one where the hearing is taking place, there were other Angolan lawyers known this morning as Benja Satula, author of a psychographed biography of José Eduardo dos Santos and representative of the Chinese company China International Fund Angola (CIF), and Sérgio Raimundo, lawyer for general Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento "Dino".
According to the indictment, to which Lusa had access, the three companies were part of a scheme set up by the defendants, which harmed the Angolan State by several million dollars.
According to the text of the indictment, it all started with the financing agreement signed in 2003 between the Angolan State and the People's Republic of China, from which, from 2004 onwards, several credit lines emerged with EximBank, CCBB-Banco de Desenvolvimento of China and with Sinosure - Export Credit Insurance Agency.
The scheme that harmed the Angolan State was set up when "Kopelipa" was appointed by then President José Eduardo dos Santos as head of the National Reconstruction Office.
According to the indictment, Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior and Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento, together with two other defendants in the case, "concertedly devised a plan to deceive the Angolan State and, under the pretext of restructuring, appropriated" properties built with public funds and "marketed them as if they were their own".
General "Kopelipa" was head of José Eduardo dos Santos' Military House and General "Dino" was head of communications in the previous regime.
CIF Limited is a private Chinese company with headquarters in Hong Kong and an office in Beijing, founded in 2003 to finance national reconstruction and infrastructure development projects in developing countries, mainly in Africa.
The CIF is linked to Manuel Vicente, former president of the Angolan state oil company and former vice-president of Angola.
