According to the order to which Lusa had access, the Angolan businessman, who between 2000 and 2016 simultaneously served as risk management director at Sonangol and chairman of the board of directors of AAA Seguros, a company in that the Angolan oil company was initially the sole shareholder, it would have carried out in that period “a scheme of illegal appropriation of shareholdings” of the insurer and of “income and profits produced by the system” of insurance and reinsurance in the oil sector in Angola, thanks to the monopoly of the company.
In this way, Carlos São Vicente became the “majority holder of interests in AAA Seguros, with 89.89%, to the detriment of Sonangol, which saw its shareholdings drastically reduced by 10% [a 10%], an estimated loss of more than USD 900,000,000.00 [cerca de 763,6 milhões de euros ao câmbio atual]”, with the oil company” not receiving any benefit “, on the other hand, the document says.
Participation assignments, which according to the order, the defendant reported that were made “on the basis of an informal agreement” between him, as a representative of AAA Seguros, and the then chairman of the board of Sonangol, and later vice-president President of Angola, Manuel Vicente. Also according to the order transcribed, “a large part of the assets of AAA Seguros, SA [que já cessou a atividade] today they belong to other companies of the same group owned / controlled by the defendant Carlos Manuel de São Vicente “, through” a fraudulent process to the detriment of the Angolan State “.
The Angolan justice considers in the document that there are “strong indications” that the transfer of shareholdings in favor of AAA-Seguros SA, held by Carlos Manuel de São Vicente, was made “illegally”, because “there is no evidence in the file that the Sonangol’s Board of Directors would have agreed to transfer the shares “, reads in the transcript of the order that constituted Carlos São Vicente as defendant and determined his preventive detention on September 22 last.
A document that would not have been delivered to Carlos São Vicente that day.
In question, the Angolan businessman also reported, according to the document, that “it was understood, at the time, that under the terms of decree nº 39/01, it was up to Sonangol to create the company and then gradually withdraw” from its shareholder structure , “supposedly to boost the national business entrepreneurship policies”.
In addition to claiming that “the assignments of shareholdings by Sonangol in favor of the company AAA Seguros” were for consideration, that is to say according to the defendant, Sonangol would in return have benefited from financial services and the rapid placement of oil risk in the international market “.
In view of the above, the document concludes: “there is no doubt, of sufficient evidence that the accused Carlos Manuel de São Vicente is involved in the practice of crimes of embezzlement (…), undue receipt of advantages (…), corruption (…), economic participation in business (…) influence traffic (…) “.
And given the fact that the defendant, “is a known, influential person and has financial power”, and who regularly travels abroad, the order states that there is “well-founded fear of danger of escape and of disruption in the process, the tange [no que toca]the production, conservation and integrity of the evidence “for which preventive detention determined.
Carlos São Vicente was heard on September 22, for the second time, for about seven hours at the National Directorate of Investigation and Penal Action (DNIAP), an organ assigned to the PGR, and was taken to the Viana jail, in Luanda.
Angolan judicial authorities have already ordered the seizure of several buildings belonging to the AAA group, owned by businessman Carlos São Vicente, who is also being investigated in Switzerland for embezzlement and money laundering.
The PGR National Asset Recovery Service issued a statement announcing the seizure of the AAA buildings, the IU and IKA hotels, located throughout the country and the IRCA building, at Rua Amílcar Cabral, in Luanda.
After the buildings, the National Asset Recovery Service of the PGR announced the seizure of the 49% minority shareholding in AAA Ativos in Standard Bank Angola, where the businessman is a non-executive director, having requested the suspension of functions for the duration of the process. .
The PGR also requested the freezing of accounts and seizure of assets by Irene Neto, daughter of the first Angolan President, Agostinho Neto, and the businessman’s wife.
AAA, led by Carlos São Vicente, is one of the largest Angolan business groups, operating in the insurance and hospitality sectors.
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