Or National Bank of Angola (BNA)already in possession, the five hundred million US dollars that had been illegally transferred from this institution abroad, reads a press release from the Ministry of Finance sent to Angop today.
According to the statement, the Angolan authorities remain committed to recovering all amounts paid, as part of the structuring of the aforementioned financial operation, namely, the recovery of 24.85 million euros, unduly transferred to the company’s account More Financial Services, resulting from a service provision not carried out.
This time, the Angolan Executive thanks the British authorities and all those who in some way contributed to the recovery of these public resources, which are sorely needed by the country’s economy at this difficult time.
The case continues to be processed at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which, given the seriousness of the facts and within the scope of its powers, will act in accordance with the Law”, reads the note.
The statement clarifies the contours of the operation, stating that, During 2017, the company Mais Financial Services managed by the Angolan citizen Jorge Gaudens Pontes and assisted by José Filomeno dos Santos, former president of the Angolan Sovereign Fund, proposed to the Executive the creation of a Strategic Investment Fund that would mobilize USD 35 billion to finance projects considered strategic for the country.
They also proposed to the Executive another fund in foreign currency that would allocate a weekly amount of USD 300 million, to meet the needs of the internal foreign exchange market for a period of 12 months.
The entire operation would be intermediated by Mais Financial Services, which allegedly had the support of a syndicate of top international banks.
To this end, according to the Ministry of Finance, the promoters presented as a precedent condition the capitalization of USD 1.5 billion by the Angolan authorities, plus a payment of 33 million euros to set up the financing structures.
Thus, between July and August 2017, 24.8 million euros were paid to Mais Financial Services to set up the financing operation and in August of the same year, 500 million US dollars were transferred to the account of PerfectBit, the contracted entity by the promoters of the operation, allegedly for the purpose of custody of the funds to be structured.
PerfectBit’s administrator, Jorge Guadens Pontes, was appointed to the position days before the transfer of the aforementioned amounts, according to the note.
From the “due diligence” carried out by the Ministry of Finance and the law firm hired by it, it was concluded that the company PerfectBit, owned by Brazilian citizen Samuel Barbosa, was a dormant company, that is, a vehicle without any history in similar operations.
The results of the due diligence on PerfectBit’s history recommended caution, in October 2017, and under the guidance of the current Holder of the Executive Branch, a delegation headed by the Minister of Finance and integrated by the then governor of the BNA and other technicians, traveled to London with the mission of contacting the promoters and the aforementioned syndicate of banks that would support the financing operation.