Category: Articles

The Logic of Democracy in Angola

I am reading this and I can’t believe it. So I read it again: “When people, including some politicians, say that there is a dictatorial regime in Angola, this is not true”, says Paulo de Carvalho, professor of the Faculty of Social Science of the Agostinho Neto University, in Luanda. He made this statement at a conference organised by the Centre for African Studies of the Institute of Political and Social Science in Lisbon (ISCSP), under the theme “Democracy and citizens’ rights in Angola”. In order to substantiate his belief, Paulo de Carvalho referred to an event which had taken place a while back in the Mário Soares Foundation in Lisbon, where the journalist and human rights activist had criticised the Angolan regime, and the scholar had replied to him thus: “If there was a dictatorial regime in Angola, you, my friend, Rafael Marques, would not be here speaking on […]

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Minister of Interior Protects the Corrupt

A recent Angolan government report uncovered a network of corruption within the Office for Immigration and Foreigners (known by its Portuguese acronym SME), such as issuing illegal work visas to the value of over US$90 million, not a cent of which entered state coffers. Having seen the report, the Minister of Interior, Ângelo de Barros Veiga Tavares, took disciplinary action against those responsible. Yet the national director and the deputy national director of SME, as well as other key players in the corrupt scheme, have not lost their jobs, and so far, no legal proceedings have been initiated.     An audit undertaken by the Ministry of Interior, beginning on November 6, 2013, revealed that a network of 14 people, led by the national director of SME, José Paulino da Silva, illegally issued over 14,000 work visas in just one year. According to the report, the network was charging between […]

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Illegal Visas Worth More Than US $90 Million

Within a year, senior staff at the Angolan Office for Immigration and Foreigners (known by the Portuguese acronym SME) issued more than 14,000 work visas, at a unit cost of between US$5,000 and US$15,000, with absolutely no revenue entering state coffers.   The operation has earned over US$90 million for the corrupt officials and nothing for the State. This information is part of an audit of the SME conducted by the Inspectorate of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), and delivered to the Minister of the Interior on February 6 past. Maka Angola saw the report. The investigation was opened on the November 6, 2013, by order of the Minister of the Interior, Ângelo de Barros Veiga Tavares, and its aim was to verify “how certain decisions were taken by the Ministry of the Interior, with regard to correcting irregularities, flaws and anomalies noticed in the investigation into the Office […]

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Mosquito: Isabel dos Santos’ Proxy

África Monitor reported in its March 4 edition on two investments made recently in Portugal by the Angolan businessman António Mosquito: investments that were shown to be initiatives of Isabel dos Santos.   According to the publication, Isabel dos Santos chose “not to reveal her self” as the buyer of the purchase of 66.7 percent of the construction company Soares da Costa and of 27.5 percent of Controlinveste, a media conglomerate that owns the daily paper Diário de Notícias and the radio station TSF.   António Mosquito became chairman of Soares da Costa, and through his Grupo António Mosquito (GAM) invested €70 million (US$ 96.1 million) in the business.   Regarding the Controlinveste deal there is no information available about the size of the Angolan investment, which was made alongside an investment by Luís Montez, the son-in-law of the Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva.   The report by journalist Xavier […]

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Regedor Capenda-Camulemba Detido nas Lundas

Lisboa (Lusa) – O ativista e jornalista angolano Rafael Marques afirmou hoje à Lusa que a polícia angolana prendeu um chefe tradicional que foi sua testemunha no julgamento do processo Diamantes de Sangue, no qual responde por difamação. “Está detido desde as 09:00 (08:00 em Lisboa) no Comando Municipal da Polícia de Capenda Camulemba e quem me prestou a informação foi o próprio secretário” (do chefe tradicional), disse à Lusa Rafael Marques. De acordo com o jornalista e ativista de direitos humanos angolano, não foi formalizada qualquer queixa contra o soba Mwana Capenda ,que prestou declarações a um tribunal em Lisboa, este mês, em conjunto com Linda Moisés Rosa, outra testemunha de Rafael Marques no processo que o opõe a vários generais angolanos, que o acusam de difamação pelo conteúdo do livro “Diamantes de Sangue”. Além de serem testemunhas no processo judicial, os dois angolanos denunciaram abusos de direitos humanos […]

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Isabel dos Santos’ Diamonds and Husband

Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of the Angolan president, is the main beneficiary of the diamond trade in Angola. This involves simple arrangements in Angola, and more sophisticated ones abroad. Forbes magazine recently published an article in which this author investigates the partnership set up by Isabel dos Santos, through her husband Sindika Dokolo, and the Angolan state for the acquisition of the Swiss jeweller De Grisogono. This brand is known to be the favorite choice of movie stars and fashion celebrities including Sharon Stone and Heidi Klum. Maka Angola expands on this investigation and puts it in context. On February 27, 2012 a Maltese-registered company, Victoria Limited, acquired 72.5 percent of De Grisogono Holding S.A. The shareholding soon increased to 75 percent. A press statement by De Grisogono founder Fawaz Gruosi at the time when the shares were sold said the deal was worth more than US$100 million. […]

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General Dino and the Attorney General’s Lies

On January 6 2012 I laid a criminal complaint with the Attorney General of the Republic of Angola, against the presidential triumvirate that comprises the current vice-president Manuel Vicente, the minister of state and head of the Intelligence Bureau at the presidency (Casa de Segurança), General Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior “Kopelipa”, and the latter’s main advisor, General Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino”. The charge that I laid was of suspected illegal enrichment and abuse of power. The Attorney General’s office responded by initiating a preliminary inquiry, case number 06-A/2012-INQ, to verify the allegations about the trio’s business involvement that I made in my investigation “The Angolan Presidency: The Epicentre of Corruption”. As a result of that inquiry, the Attorney General’s Office acknowledged that the three men were shareholders in Grupo Aquattro. In less than three years, this group had come to dominate the Angolan economy, with holdings in sectors […]

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Chaos in the Angolan Military Intelligence and Security Service

A group of 10 generals and 12 colonels in the Angolan Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISM) have been waiting for the last six months to be sworn in to discharge the duties following their appointment by President José Eduardo dos Santos. The officers, appointed on 19 June 2013, include Lieutenant General Carlos Miguel de Sousa Filipe, who will be serving as SISM deputy chief; Brigadier Pedro Minguela, as head of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) Military Counterintelligence Directorate; and Rear Admiral Domingos Baptista, as head of the Angolan Navy Military Counterintelligence Directorate. Maka Angola has learned from an unofficial source that the situation has created considerable embarrassment in the directorates to which those generals and senior officers were appointed. Documentation in the restructured directorates continues to carry only the names of former officers and it is up to the appointees to make decisions and sign on behalf of their […]

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Prison Riot in Viana: Four Dead, 65 Injured

A riot that broke out in Viana prison in Luanda, on Monday, morning left four dead and 65 people injured, 30 of them seriously, according to prison sources. Official reports quoted by the state news agency, Angop, so far acknowledge no deaths and only 52 injuries. A police source told Maka Angola that most of the injuries were sustained from gunshots, in a combined attack by the Rapid Intervention Police (PIR), Public Order Police and the prison services. “When the PIR arrived at the scene they started shooting the at detainees’ legs. Most of the wounds were sustained in the legs,” said the source, who preferred to remain anonymous. One prisoner, who for his own safety is identified only as “G”, explained what happened. “The disturbance is, in short, due to the two special annual visits that the prisoners have a right to, at Christmas and New Year. This year […]

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