According to a statement issued by the US State Department, which comes following the imposition of sanctions on two Angolan generals, on Thursday, businesswoman Isabel dos Santos was prevented from traveling to the United States, without announcing any economic or judicial sanctions against the daughter of the former Angolan president.
“The United States nominates the following individuals for their involvement in significant corruption,” as stated at the top of the list which includes, among others, the name of Isabel dos Santos, presented as “the former head of an Angolan public company,” in which reference is made to their “involvement in Great corruption by allocating public funds for their personal benefit.”
These appointments, described in the statement available on the State Department’s website, are “made under Section 7031(c)” and “under this authority, the Secretary of State will deny entry into the United States for foreign government officials involved in significant corruption and their immediate family members.”
The appointment of the former president of Sonangol comes on the same day that the United States also imposed sanctions, including freezing all assets, on former Angolan leaders Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino” and Manuel Helder Vieira Dias Jr. “Cobileba” in the country.
Leopoldino do Nascimento and Dias Júnior, better known as Generals ‘Dino’ and ‘Kopelipa’, respectively, “are two former government officials who have stolen billions of dollars from the Angolan government through embezzlement,” said the Portuguese-language statement distributed Thursday in Washington.
The US Treasury alleges that those now sanctioned “conspired with other Angolan individuals and Sam Ba, identified by the Treasury Department.” [enquanto alvo de sanções em abril de 2014] To divert financing from infrastructure development projects, including the use of phantom projects.
The text states that the former officials are “also suspected of embezzling millions of dollars from Angolan infrastructure projects and then using their positions in the Angolan economy to protect themselves from the possibility of criminal charges”.
The Angolan couple is subject to Executive Order 13818, which also covers four entities owned or controlled by Leopoldino Nascimento: Cochan SA, Cochan Holdings LLC, Geni SARL and Geni Novas Tecnologias SA.
OFAC also appoints [para ser alvo de sanções] An entity, Baia Consulting, owned or controlled by Dias Jr. and his wife, Luisa de Fatima Gioviti”, is within the scope of that entity.
The memo added that the sanctions now enacted mean that “all assets and interests in property of the persons” referred to “that are in the United States or in the possession or control of US persons are prohibited and must be reported to OFAC.” .
In addition, “Any entities belonging directly or indirectly, directly or indirectly, 50% or more to a Prohibited Person or more are prohibited,” and no asset may be traded or benefited from contributions or supplies of funds, goods or services which includes sanctioned persons.
The two Angolan leaders were members of the Presidency of the Republic, at the time of former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos and former Vice President Manuel Vicente.
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