Luanda – The minister of State and Head of the Civil Office of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, has said that a National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption is being drafted and could be implemented in the near future.
The State minister said so at the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on "Challenges and Measures to Prevent, Fight Corruption and Strengthen International Cooperation", which is taking place in New York (USA) from 2 to 4 June , by videoconference.
In his speech, he stressed that the plan aims to bring together all national sensibilities in combating this phenomenon, to strengthen the partnership between the government and civil society, improve the business environment and the quality of life of citizens.
Adão de Almeida said that despite the actions already underway, the Angolan state recognizes that there is still a lot to be done.
He also mentioned the country's work towards continuing to take firm steps in the areas of combating corruption and recovering assets.
He clarified that, as of 2017, the Angolan Executive, aware that corruption undermines the foundations of any society, launched a set of reforms, aimed at combating corruption, with a priority nature on its agenda.
In this context, he presented, as an example, the approval of the Law on Coercive Repatriation of Capital and Extended Loss of Assets, in the context of which assets acquired through an act of improbity were identified and recovered, using international cooperation.
"As a result, since 2018, more than 1,500 cases have been investigated by our judicial bodies, some of which have already been on trial, which enabled the recovery of assets valued at 5.3 billion dollars, of which USD 2.7 billion in cash and USD 2.6 billion in real estate and bonds," he said.
The minister noted that corruption is a universal phenomenon. "Preventing and combating this (phenomenon) requires a comprehensive, integrated and articulated approach," he stressed.
He also highlighted the country's desire to continue to be part of the various international mechanisms in this field, as well as to work to institutionalize a set of reforms in Angolan institutions, so that the prevention and fight against corruption is increasingly effective.
This is because, as the president has once said, corruption has harmful effects on the socio-economic development of any country and undermines citizens' trust in institutions.
