Lisbon, March 7, 2025 (Lusa) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) considers that the fight against corruption in Angola needs to be reinvigorated and recommends more transparency in the asset recovery process, according to a document consulted by Lusa.

The information is contained in an annex to the evaluation report released on Thursday, where the IMF says that after a strong boost in the first term of Angolan president João Lourenço (2017-2022) with progress in governance and legislation, reforms have slowed down since 2022 and this momentum should be reinvigorated.

The IMF says that the existing legal framework is in line with best practices, but there has been no progress in institutional autonomy, independence and technical capacity to apply it, and that more transparent, participatory, publicly accessible and digitally automated procedures should be adopted.

Reforms to the judicial system "have stalled since 2022", despite capacity building, says the IMF, pointing to the more than 1,000 law enforcement agents, including judges, magistrates and police officers, trained in areas such as financial investigation, tax fraud and recovery of illicit assets, with support from the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

The National Asset Recovery Service (SENRA) published in 2023 a list of assets recovered since 2019, totalling US$19 billion (€17.5 billion), of which US$7 billion (€6.4 billion) were recovered at national level, including shares in banks and companies, real estate and cash.

The list was updated in 2024 with an additional US$308 million (€284 million) in seized assets, of which US$83 million (€77 million) in cash was fully recovered and deposited in the National Bank of Angola.

The IMF is calling for "clear rules and greater transparency in the management, sale and allocation of the proceeds of recovered assets" and for recourse to the recovery of assets based on conviction to be limited, as well as the restitution of assets seized in other jurisdictions.

The financial institution adds that progress in applying the law has been penalised by the commutation of sentences, referring to former Transport minister Augusto Tomás, and the relative slowness in pursuing high-profile corruption cases such as that of General Kopelipa, still awaiting trial after more than five years [the trial starts next Monday].

The IMF considers that the National Strategy for the Prevention and Repression of Corruption (2024-2027) is "lacking in concrete measures and actions", especially in strengthening existing institutions and areas such as the declaration of assets of senior public office holders and politically exposed persons.

The document points to flaws in budgetary control and participation, blaming the Angolan parliament for "exercising little control over the planning and execution phase of the budget cycle" and the Angolan Court of Auditors which "continues to issue ex-post audit reports [evaluation after the implementation of policies or programmes] on the annual General State Accounts, which do not cover all government entities, and does not follow up on its audit recommendations".

In addition, civil society and the general public "have little space to contribute to the preparation of the budget and monitor budget implementation," says the report consulted by Lusa.

There are also shortcomings in expenditure control and cash management that are reflected in payment delays, with the IMF highlighting weak procedures for controlling budget commitments, delays in recognising and budgeting for late payments due to inadequate recording of invoices, and shortcomings in cash flow forecasting.

On the other hand, public procurement is still subject to vulnerabilities that should be "promptly rectified" by adopting open and transparent procedures, it recommends.

"Contracts awarded through non-competitive tendering (Simplified Contracting - SC) accounted for more than 80% of all contracts and continue to be the dominant form of public procurement," points out the IMF, a practice that "raises significant concerns regarding transparency, accountability and fairness and can lead to corruption and inflated contract prices."

RCR/AYLS // AYLS

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