Luanda — President João Lourenço instructed the Attorney General's Office on Tuesday to intensify cooperation with the authorities of Bermuda, Singapore, and Switzerland, where nearly two billion dollars, that have already been declared forfeited to the Angolan State national courts decision are domiciled in these countries.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Judicial Year, the Angolan Head of State said that asset recovery should be considered not only as a patrimonial measure, but above all as a mechanism of substantive justice, aimed at removing the economic advantage of illicit activity and restoring to the State and society the resources unduly appropriated.
João Lourenço encouraged the Attorney General's Office to strengthen cooperation with similar foreign institutions for asset recovery, citing as examples the signing of the Asset Sharing Agreement with the Republic of Namibia and the effective repatriation of part of assets found in Portugal that have reverted to the Angolan State.
The president said these results reflect a persistent and coordinated institutional effort, at a time when processes remain pending in different jurisdictions, having demanded that the holders of assets belonging to the Angolan State, by decision of national courts, return them to the rightful owner.
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Lourenço stressed that the judgments of Angolan courts cannot be re-evaluated by foreign courts, with the Constitutional Court being the only competent entity to hear appeals relating to judicial decisions issued in the country.
The president stressed that the recovered resources should be put at the service of the Angolan people, with application in structuring projects, such as schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure essential to the country's development.
Internationally, the President of the Republic recalled that Angola is in the process of mutual evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), with a view to aligning the National System for the Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction with international standards.
He stated that enhanced monitoring within the FATF framework requires a high sense of responsibility, cooperation and coordination among the institutions that make up the National Working Group, namely the Attorney General's Office, law enforcement agencies, the Financial Information Unit and economic intelligence and investigation services, focusing on the identification, investigation, prosecution and recovery of assets.
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The Head of State said that the collective effort to prevent and combat corruption has earned recognition at the national and international levels, stressing that Angola has fulfilled its role in the fight against corruption and impunity.
João Lourenço also mentioned that the most recent 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index report, published by Transparency International, places Angola in 120th position among 182 countries evaluated, registering an improvement compared to 2015.
He considered the data encouraging, but advocated for a greater commitment to strengthening public integrity and consolidating the progress achieved.
The president also addressed words of encouragement to judicial magistrates and public prosecutors, lawyers, justice sector employees and other legal professionals, expressing confidence in the achievement of the objectives defined for the current judicial year.ART/AMP
