Angola anti-corruption crackdown hits MP, ex-Luanda mayor

Former governor of the Angolan capital, Luanda, has been summoned over financial crimes, the ANGOP news portal reported on Wednesday.

Higino Carneiro who currently serves as a lawmaker on the ticket of the ruling MPLA is being probed among others over money laundering, abuse of power, criminal association and mismanagement of the capital.

He is is barred from leaving the country according to prosecutors and is expected to report to the authorities regularly. Carneiro was in charge of Luanda between 2016 – 2017.

He is being probed along with another lawmaker, Manuel Rabelais. Rabelais is indicted over his tenure as director of the Office for the Revitalization of Institutional Communication and Marketing, Grecima, he left the post in 2017.

They are the first lawmakers to be indicted and placed under surveillance since the coming into office of President Joao Lourenco in 2017. Lourenco took over from long-serving Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

He pledged to crackdown on corruption and revitalize the economy of one of Africa’s biggest oil producers. Lourenco’s anti-corruption crackdown has seen top ex-officials arrested and charged for financial crimes.

His orders has also led to the dismissal of children of his predecessor from top state outfits. Isabel dos Santos was fired as head of state oil firm, Sonangol whiles her brother was also fired as head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, Jose Filemon is the subject of an ongoing judicial investigation.

Former governor of Luanda, Higino Carneiro, is the latest to be caught in the fight against corruption in Angola. He is accused of money laundering, abuse of power, mismanagement of Luanda, others. He isn’t allowed to leave country &must present himself to authorities regularly. pic.twitter.com/NSeCflkkKw

— Zenaida Machado (@zenaidamz) February 13, 2019