Wednesday 19th February, 2020
LUANDA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) – Angolan former
president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos, has confirmed that he ordered the
ex-governor of the country’s central bank (BNA) to transfer US$500 million
abroad, ensuring that everything was done in the public interest.
The confirmation of the former president was
given in a letter through which he replied to the Supreme Court where the trial
involving the transfer of the US$500 million is taking place.
This was after the former governor of BNA,
Valter Filipe, who is defendant in the case involving the transfer of the
money, said the ex-president led the negotiating commission and authorized the
transfer.
Taking into consideration that the
ex-president is currently living abroad and a confirmation was needed, an
interrogatory letter was sent at the request of the ex-governor’s lawyer to
confirm the version of the facts.
The former BNA governor faces trail along
with son of former Angolan president and former CEO of Angola Sovereign Fund,
Filomeno dos Santos, the ex-director of the BNA department of reserves
management, Antonio Samalia Bule, and businessman Jorge Gaudens, all of whom
stand accused of money laundering, embezzlement and influence peddling.
The defendants are implicated in the illegal
transfer of US$500 million from Angola’s central bank to an account
abroad.
GNA