Cedesa, which analyzes political and economic issues in Angola, considers that an agreement between the Angolan State and businesswoman Isabel dos Santos is neither possible nor opportune, considering that “it would be the death” of the President’s anti-corruption policy
“The conclusion we reached, analyzing the facts, the law and the political context as they are at this very moment, (…) is that it is neither possible nor opportune to make any agreement between the State and Isabel dos Santos”, says the group of academics Cedesa, in an analysis to which Lusa had access.
Firstly, because in Angola there is no legal norm of general application that allows the State and a person under judicial investigation to reach an agreement. “Even if that person returns any assets that he has illegitimately taken over,” say the analysts. And then, “because the agreement would be the death of the anti-corruption policy initiated by João Lourenço [President of the Republic of Angola], consequently, eliminating the main objective of the presidential mandate”, says Cedesa in the document.
Thus, “if the legal framework makes any agreement impossible, the structure of the anti-corruption policy is definitive in that impossibility”, defends the group of academics. For Cedesa, the anti-corruption policy has “credibility as its last foundation”, because in addition to punishing eventual offenders, it intends to drastically reduce corrupt practices in Angola.
