Former Angolan minister Manuel Rabelais starts trial on December 9
The prosecution order, known in September 2019, states that Manuel Rabelais, assisted by Hilário Santos, “transformed the Communication Revitalization Office into an authentic exchange house”.
The former Angolan Minister of Social Communication and former director of the Office for the Revitalization of Institutional Communication and Marketing of the Administration (GRECIMA), Manuel Rabelais, begins to be judged on December 9 in the Supreme Court.
The announcement was made by adviser judge Daniel Modesto, who considered that the conditions for the trial were created, in statements to Angola National Radio (ANR).
The ex-governor, who is also an MPLA deputy, a party in power, currently suspended, is accused of continuing crimes of embezzlement, violation of the rules of execution of the plan and budget, and money laundering, punishable by a penalty greater than two years in prison, practiced between 2016 and 2017, as director of the extinct GRECIMA.
In late October, the National Assembly unanimously approved the draft resolution that suspends the mandate of deputy and removes immunity from Manuel Rabelais, at the request of the president of the Supreme Court.
The draft resolution on the deputy, number 66 of the effective list, of the national constituency of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), was approved with 170 votes in favor, none against, and no abstentions, allowing to continue the process against Manuel Rabelais.
In addition to the ex-minister of Social Communication, he is involved in the process, as a defendant, Hilário Santos, then an administrative assistant at GRECIMA.
According to the prosecution order, known in September 2019, Manuel Rabelais, assisted by Hilário Santos, “transformed GRECIMA into an authentic exchange house, attracting companies and individuals to deposit kwanzas in exchange for foreign currency”, indicating four companies that deposited values in the GRECIMA account, as well as natural persons, of which only seven have already been identified.
Deposits were also made in GRECIMA accounts domiciled in other commercial banks (BIC, BPC, BAI, and SOL).
“It should be noted that as foreign currency was acquired at BNA and provisioned in GRECIMA accounts at commercial banks, with deposits from companies and individuals”, Manuel Rabelais ordered Hilário Santos to carry out “a withdrawal plan, purchase and selling or transferring them ”, reads the document.
The order also states that the defendants transferred a total of more than 16 million euros to 11 companies out of the country via Banco BCI.
Manuel Rabelais will be tried in the criminal chamber of the Supreme Court.
