Pompeo salutes Angola’s anti-graft efforts

Visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has lauded Angolan President Joao Lourenco's anti-corruption drive, which has seen him pursue his predecessor's children over accusations they fleeced state coffers. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, the authorities last month indicted Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, for a host of top-level financial crimes, including money laundering and influence peddling. ‘During his first two-and-half years in office President Lourenco has done great work to make it (corruption) a ghost of the past,’ Pompeo told a news conference during a one-day visit to Luanda where he held talks with Lourenco. ‘He has increased transparency, he has helped financial institutions clean up their books and he has pursued bad actors,’ he said. A report on the News24 site notes that Pompeo added that graft has ‘stunted this nation's vast potential for far too long’, pledging US support to help the oil-rich country curb corruption.

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