Ana Leal after Luanda Leaks, there are new Corruption revelations about the Angolan government

 conflicts in the palace, a Portuguese report on the ministers of the government of João Lourenço, shows that the main corrupt people in the country today are the men of confidence of the Angolan president.

 By Musa Garcia
 Investigation Journalist
 Midianews Maka Mavulo
 03/12/2020

 The announcement made by the Portuguese channel TVI that it would show on the “Ana Leal program”, a report on corruption scandals involving ministers of the current government of João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, is creating discomfort in the Angolan regime.
 Minister aides launch counter offensive on social media

 The screening was scheduled for Tuesday (10) and Wednesday (11), but TVI was forced to postpone it to a later date in order to cover the theme of the “corona virus” that Lil Pasta News found out  , is consuming about 80% of the main news spaces of the Portuguese television networks.

 “The Ana Leal program was postponed due to a possible worsening of the coronavirus outbreak.  The situation that the country is experiencing at this time will be highlighted throughout the day on TVI and TVI 24. Therefore, the issue of investigative reports will be postponed ”, reads an announcement on social networks made by the owner of the program,  the journalist Ana Leal.

 According to Lil Pasta News, from a source linked to the topic, the report addresses the business of a business network of leaders who gravitate towards the return of the director of the presidential office, Edeltrudes Maurício Fernandes Gaspar da Costa, who became the minister who most influenced him.  to have on the figure of the Angolan Head of State, João Lourenço who has forgiven him for his successive scandals.  Costa started to be called in Luanda, by “the new Kopelipa”.

 Ana Leal’s report brings the intricacies of an apartment in cascais that his ex wife Arite Faria bought for € 2.5 million in May 2017, a month after receiving “millions” from an Edeltrudes account, at the same time  Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic.

 The report addresses the business of family members of another minister, Águas, João Baptista Borges, who has been responsible for the portfolio of Energia e Águas since the government of José Eduardo dos Santos.  With interests in common, with Edeltrudes Costa, the holder Energia e Águas is mentioned in the report party interested in transactions in Off-Shores (Valoris International Services and Mundideias) which are then used for money transfers to Portugal.

 TVI cites a building (on Rua D. Manuel II, numbers 28 to 30, in the city of Porto) bought for 7 million euros by Paulo Ivanilson Cabral Borges, the son of the Angolan minister of Energy and Waters.

 In addition to his son’s business, the report mentions Ana Borges, the minister’s wife who in turn is a partner in the Megawatt company, which provides services to ENDE, a state-owned electricity company that had João Baptista Borges as PCA in the past.  Between 2011 and 2012, “Megawatt” received contracts of 329 thousand euros with Ambergol, a company that has contracts with this ministerial department whose holder is the husband, Borges.

 The “Ana Leal” Program will also bring the example of Marketpoll, a company owned by Paulina Cardoso, the wife of the current Minister of State and Chief of Staff of the President of the Republic, Frederico Manuel dos Santos e Silva Cardoso.  In 2017, Marketpoll received 4 million euros from the MPLA for services such as “qualitative and quantitative research”.

 In addition to Carla Cardoso, Marketpoll has another partner Telma Tiago, wife of Adriano Botelho de Vasconcelos, member of the Council of the Republic and one of the best friends of President João Lourenço.

 Reactions: Advisers say this is a systematic attack

 In reaction to the report, informal government advisers defend themselves saying that this is a “systematic attack on the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, the director of the Office of the President of the Republic, Edeltrudes Costa, and the Minister of State  and Chief of Staff, Frederico Cardoso, aims only to discourage João Lourenço from continuing the struggle of all Angolans: the fight against corruption. ”

 A text disseminated in advance by MPLA staff on social media and signed with a false name “Emanuel Kadiango”, considers that “the campaign against the Angolan Government, led by the Portuguese press, only surprises the political unwary, lacking in critical sense  about the events that come between voice, light and colors, under the pretext of an impartial journalistic investigation. ”

 From the point of view of the text “The systematic attack on the Minister of Energy and Water, João Baptista Borges, on the Director of the Office of the President of the Republic, Edeltrudes Costa, and on the Minister of State and Chief of Staff, Frederico Cardoso, was only intended to discourage  João Lourenço to continue the struggle of all Angolans: the fight against corruption. ”

 Minister’s aides blame former Portuguese partner

 “João Baptista Borges, a minister who passed over from the previous government, a well-proven energy sector figure, has a head on the prize for having stopped an attempt to scam the Angolan State.  The artist is Ricardo Machado, owner of a service sheet filled with adventures of dishonesty, who, at any time, can be constituted accused. ”  It reads in the counter offensive signed by “Emanuel Kadiango”, but that sources in Luanda claim to have received from elements linked to the spokesman of the Angolan presidency, Luis Fernando.

 In another counter-offensive text, the authors again point the finger at the Portuguese businessman Ricardo Machado for leaking information while others point out responsibilities to one of the daughters of former President José Eduardo dos Santos.

 With business in the energy sector, Ricardo Machado is the Portuguese businessman who no longer has ties to Minister João Batista Borges in the wake of disagreements and exchanges of mutual accusations of disloyalty.  He is a partner in the company “AEnergia”, in which the minister of energy and water was present by a nephew and “iron forehead”, Ricardo Jorge Borges.

 “Angola Parents with a lot of potential in water resources, and that until then had the electric energy sector largely dependent on a dominant group, should not at any time retreat in the face of pernicious information and of course aims to reach those who likewise decided to fight corruption in the sector  da Energia e Água ”, reads in the message in defense of Baptista Borges circulated by informal advisers.

 For the alleged advisers, the Angolan minister of Energy and Water has been the victim of a worldwide attack for being against corruption in Angola.  “João Baptista Borges, after denouncing the contracts that hurt the state in billions of dollars, has been the victim of attacks and even misinformation to retreat in the continuous search for contracts that are damaging to the State and almost make President João Lourenço understand that it must be  away ”.

 President João Lourenço alone in the fight against corruption, being a real corrupt since the era of the previous government of MPLA criminals

 It should be remembered that since the rise of João Lourenço to power, false signs of reform and political openness have been registered in Angola.  However, several analysts have noted that the Angolan leader is practically alone in this crusade against corruption, as he was part of the gang of looters led by José Eduardo dos Santos, since some of his ministers have been mentioned in practices scandals that  damage state coffers.

 The same detachment in the leader’s fight against corruption is noted in sectors of the MPLA, whose parliamentary bench checked last month, the possession of a former Judge Manuel Pereira da Silva “Manico” to lead the destinies of the National Electoral Commission.  Against “Manico” a process is running in the Luanda Court in which he mentions him as having unduly received public funds from the former Governor of Luanda, Higino Carneiro.https://youtu.be/AcpDNwYtLSw