Cpr - Repatriation detention centers

Islands. Spaces of education and civil disobedience

Cpr - Repatriation detention centers

Islands. Spaces of education and civil disobedience

Corruption in Angola: "The State used to satisfy whims"

D omingos das Neves, professor of ecclesiastical public law at the Catholic University of Angola: "Institutionalized corruption has razed all the country's potential to the ground in favor of a small group of families"

Monica Usai Contact person for the international sector of Libera - African area

In Angola, after the retirement of President José Eduardo Dos Santos in 2017, his successor João Lourenço began to dismantle the empire of the "richest woman in Africa", also known as the "Princess of Africa", with around 2 billion dollars in assets: Isabel Dos Santos, daughter of the former president. Thanks to the investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and the involvement of the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa (Pplaaf), approximately 715,000 documents were collected, the Luanda Leaks. This investigation by the Angolan judiciary, but with an international character, revealed how - through a global mechanism of corruption - the Dos Santos family managed to steal around 1.5 billion dollars of public money from state coffers, money then invested abroad and in particular in Portugal, a colonizing country until 1975.

Isolated case or system? Does Isabel Dos Santos represent the exception or yet another proof of what happens in countries like Angola, where some families, not by chance defined as clans, possess and manage power through deep-rooted systems of corruption and clientelism? “Many of the things were also done in a legal form, with the consent of the state institutions,” explains Domingos das Neves, jurist and professor of public ecclesiastical law at the Catholic University of Angola, to shed light on the third oil power on the African continent (after Libya and Nigeria), a state rich in diamonds and at the same time among the poorest countries on the continent.

The key word for many investigations is "corruption", but more than anything it seems to be witnessing the replacement of one power system with another, with very similar characteristics. Is that so?

Let's say that it is a system that has solidified over time through the influence of the political power of the party that governs the country (Popular Liberation Movement of Angola, ed.). Many of the things were also done legally, let's face it, with the consent of the state institutions. So, for me the basic problem lies in the fragility of our institutions, in the observance of the laws and regulations existing in the country. When the law is trampled upon, all that remains is to turn the State into a stable to satisfy one's whims. With this system of institutionalized corruption, all the country's potential has been razed to the ground in favor of a small group of people and their families.

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What characterized the Dos Santos government and what distinguishes it from the new Lourenço government which, we know, made the fight against corruption the first point of its political campaign?

Meanwhile, it must be said that both Dos Santos and Lourenço are members of the same party that has governed the country for more than forty years, from independence (1975) to today. Therefore, what one has done and what the other does happens with the approval of the party. The fight against corruption is a political orientation that the party has proposed, obviously now under the leadership of President Lourenço's government. Personally I think it would be better to strengthen the power of our public institutions and respect the effective independence of the judicial system: it is the magistrates, and not the politicians, who should and must safeguard the observance and guarantees of the constitution and the law in the State. I believe that the hope of our people lies in respect and trust in institutions and laws, rather than in individuals. Therefore, the fight against corruption must be fought, but above all the fight for conscience and awareness of legality and ethics in our individual and group actions must be done. These are the elements that help us not to fall into temptation from corruption.

Is it possible to fight corruption in a country where inequality and poverty reach a large part of the population? If yes, in what way?

Yes, it's possible. Indeed, the fight against corruption is the only formula that exists to ensure that the interests of individuals or groups are channeled into concrete projects and programs to fight against citizen poverty. However, in my opinion, this is only possible always and when we have institutions that enjoy credibility and suitable people with ethical reputations to guide them. Otherwise there is always the temptation to fall into a flawed and corrupt system.

Has the crisis that was already affecting the country, despite the strong presence of natural resources, been accentuated by the arrival of the coronavirus? What is the social situation today?

Ours is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic because it is based on a 60% informal economy, as is the case in almost all of sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, poverty has worsened due to the weakness of our systems of supply and access to drinking water, the roads and highways that should connect cities to villages practically do not exist and with the confinement of people everything becomes even more difficult, especially for the poorest people, the majority of our population. This pandemic has shown how weak our public health system is, already with basic problems with malaria, hunger and malnutrition, but also HIV and cancer, for which there is a lack of medicines because they come from abroad.

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Is there a civil, intellectual and academic society present and trying to create an alternative for your country? Where should we start again?

Our concept of civil society has been inverted for a long time: we were made to believe that it is the government that creates and fosters civil society organizations. In fact, the term 'organized civil society' was once used to say that there are specific organizations that should constitute themselves as civil society, those that are popular with the government. Now things tend to change because more and more independent voices arise, people and groups who try to contribute to the awareness of freedom of expression and thought. We live in a time of great challenges to increasingly create a plural society with many voices. It is a long march to make, but little by little, one step after another, we believe we are building a plural country, where intellectuals and academics can contribute to raising people's awareness of their duties, rights, guarantees and fundamental freedoms. This is where our country should start again, from the solidification of the rule of law.

You personally have linked your life to giving opportunities to those who have none, putting education and training at the center. Is it still like this?

Yes, although the pandemic has also put the entire education and training system to the test because no lessons have been held in schools since March and the internet network in the country is very expensive as well as weak. This situation is making us reflect on how no serious and quality investment has been made in this important area for a modern and resourceful country. I continue to believe that our country and those who live in it will achieve positive change only if the necessary investments are made in quality education and education, in order to give people the ability to face the challenges necessary for the development of Angola.