Luanda - The government of the United States of America (US) announced Thursday it had imposed sanctions on former Angolan officials Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento "Dino", Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior "Kopelipa" and Isabel dos Santos, including the freezing of all their assets.
In the document, the US Treasury Department states that the two former generals "conspired with other Angolan individuals and Sam Pa to divert funding intended for infrastructure development projects, including the use of ghost projects."
Leopoldino do Nascimento and Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior, known as generals "Dino" and "Kopelipa" "are former government officials who stole billions of dollars from the Angolan government through embezzlement," reads the press release that ANGOP had access to on Thursday.
The statement said that the two former officials "are also suspected of having embezzled millions of dollars from Angolan infrastructure projects and then using their positions in the Angolan economy to protect themselves from the possibility of criminal charges.
As part of a military equipment deal, the Treasury Department said, Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior negotiated with a third country's defence equipment manufacturer a large additional sum of money for other high-ranking Angolan government officials.
For her part, Isabel dos Santos, former chairwoman of the board of Sonangol, is accused of involvement in corruption, with the appropriation of public funds for her personal benefit.
The three Angolans are the target of Executive Order 13. 818, which also covers four entities owned or controlled by Leopoldino Nascimento (Cochan S.A., Cochan Holdings LLC, Geni SARL, and Geni Novas Tecnologias S.A.).
