"Rarely has a billionaire fallen so much and so quickly; but in Angola and other parts of the world, the systemic ills that the 'Luanda Leaks' investigation brought to the fore - corruption, the outflow of wealth to offshore centers and a money industry that creates and accelerates the theft of entire nations - remains largely unresolved, "reads a text signed by Will Fitzgibbon.
Almost a year after the revelation of the journalistic investigation known as 'Luanda Leaks', which mainly focused on the business of businesswoman Isabel dos Santos in Angola, ICIJ recalls the main events of the past 12 months and uses the words of activist Laura Macedo to conclude that "the 'Luanda Leaks' were a breath of fresh air that came in through the window".
Despite this, the ICIJ Africa coordinator praises João Lourenço for having acted quickly from the judicial point of view against former officials of the previous government, but regrets that he is "less receptive to self-examination".
The demonstrators in October and November "filled the streets [of Luanda] and asked for more transparency and demanded the dismissal of Edeltrudes Costa, João Lourenço's chief of staff, who allegedly bought luxury houses abroad through bank accounts in tax havens afterwards. to receive a government contract to rebuild airports ", writes the activist.
The fall of the daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos, it is said, was "cataclysmic", taking into account that Isabel dos Santos "came to dinner with presidents of global companies and posed on red carpets with presidents, princes and the elite Hollywood, but now her private circle and related companies are under criminal investigation in three countries, being prevented from accessing assets valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and among her main investments, she was forced to relinquish control over three companies , at least seven have been blocked in court and one is in bankruptcy. "
Lawyers, advisers and accountants "stepped aside after signing the audits and outline tax payment strategies," it added in the text, which recalls that "ICIJ reports showed how professional advisers in Western nations made it possible that dos Santos divert his country's wealth to personal accounts ".
In the text posted on the ICIJ page, journalist Will Fitzgibbon also mentions the director of Transparency International in Portugal to maintain that there is still much to be resolved, and not only in Angola.
"The 'Luanda Leaks' were the key to the increase in anti-corruption activism in Angola and brought new attention to accountants and others who were complicit in the systematic diversion of public funds for private gain", considers Karina Carvalho, adding: "But I also see the continuity of the power structures that prevent the return of stolen assets to the Angolan people and protect the profits of money laundering and tax evasion; these facilitators have part of the responsibility for the poor living conditions, including hunger and death that affect millions of people. people around the world ".
According to the Attorney General of Angola, Isabel dos Santos is running several civil and criminal cases, in which the State claims values in excess of five billion dollars.
The businesswoman has always rejected the accusations, arguing that it was a political campaign against herself and her family.
