The Angolan Supreme Court this Monday acquitted Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias “Kopelipa” of all crimes and sentenced Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino” to five years and six months in prison for money laundering and other crimes.
Chinese citizen Yiu Haiming was also sentenced to four years and six months in prison and lawyer Fernando Gomes dos Santos to three years and six months.
As companies China International Fund (CIF), Plansmart International Limited and Utter Right International Limited were sentenced to pay a thousand days fine at the rate of five thousand dollars per day.
The defense of “Dino”, convicted of the crimes of forgery of documents, money laundering, influence peddling and fraud due to fraud, requested a suspension of the sentence, as did the defenders of the remaining convicted defendants.
O trial, which began on March 10, had as defendants the two generals, former trusted men of former President José Eduardo dos Santosthe former general director of CIF Angola, Yiu Haiming, lawyer Fernando Gomes dos Santos and the three companies linked to the CIF group.
The defendants were accused of crimes such as embezzlement, fraud by defrauding, falsifying documents, criminal association, abuse of power, money laundering and influence peddling.