Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Board of Directors in Luanda, Helder Pitta Grós stated that he does not know the whereabouts of the former Angolan president’s daughter and claims that several attempts have been made to hear the businesswoman who, in an interview with German broadcaster DW and through her social networks, she has always insisted that she was available to clarify the “untruths” about her, saying that there is no interest in listening to her.
“On the part of the prosecution there was a series of steps in the sense that it was informed and aware of what was going on,” emphasized Pitta Grós, who confirmed that an international arrest warrant was issued. and that Angolan authorities are working with Interpol to track down Isabel dos Santos
“These international arrest warrants are always handed over to Interpol. Here in Angola, we have an Interpol Representation and it was this Representation that carried out all the necessary procedures up to Interpol’s headquarters, which will be distributed from there to all countries that are part of the organization, he said.
The warrant was issued only now, two years after the pre-emptive seizure of Isabel dos Santos’ assets, accounts and stock holdings in Angola and the Luanda Leaks scandal, as authorities expected the businesswoman to be available to comment.
“We always counted on her to respond to reports, we gave her a chance to respond, we didn’t want to rush anything, we have no interest in things that happen with the issuance of warrants, but after almost four years the process stopped, stagnated, which is why we decided to move on,” he said.
Asked about the alleged availability of Isabel dos Santos to provide clarification, Pitta Grós replied: “I have never known anyone who had made statements through social networks, it would be the first case. If she is available, she can tell the specific place where she is and we can send a letter rogatory to that country to hear it. In the Netherlands this happened, it was not accepted, I don’t know where this availability will be”.
Helder Pitta Grós, on the other hand, confirmed that the PGR has maintained contact with Isabel dos Santos’ lawyers, but emphasized that in a criminal trial the person must be questioned himself, possibly accompanied by a lawyer.
Contrary to what the eldest daughter of Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in July this year, said in this interview, Helder Pitta Grós reaffirmed that Isabel dos Santos is the target of an ongoing criminal trial and that a first attempt to report will be made in 2018 .
According to Helder Pitta Gros, “there was an attempt to notify her at her home in Morro Bento (Luanda)”, a notification received by her maid, which Isabel dos Santos did not sign.
That same day she left the country and since that date “several reports have been made both to the law firm (representing her) and to companies we knew she had a relationship with Unitel or Zap. There was no response to these reports”, he underlined.
The person responsible continued that Isabel dos Santos was in the Netherlands in April of this year and that the PGR, upon learning of this, immediately sent a letter rogatory to be informed of her status as a defendant, since also by the Dutch are questioned.
On that occasion, the daughter of the former Angolan president was located, “but she did not accept to sign the notice, let alone be questioned” and also left the country that same day
On the accusation of Isabel dos Santos, who complains of falsification of evidence and persecution by the Angolan government, the PGR challenged the businesswoman to provide evidence.
“If she has this evidence and wants to defend herself, she must do it at the trial, it cannot be on social networks or in the media that she will defend herself,” she said, promising that the fact of not being heard, does not prevent the process from continuing.
“The new Code of Criminal Procedure that recently entered into force allows the process in these cases to go to court,” he stressed, without detailing how long they will wait for a response from Isabel dos Santos.
“We are still waiting for Interpol’s response,” he continued.
Regarding the trial of former vice-president Manuel Vicente, Pitta Grós reiterated that he was legally protected for five years because he held public office, but that after that “work will be normal”.
Source: DN
