Angolan President Sacks Army Chief and Spy Boss Over Corruption Allegations

As part of promises to deal with widespread corruption in the country, Angolan President Joao Lourenco on Monday sacked the chief of staff of the armed forces and the head of the foreign intelligence over corruption allegations.

This is the president’s latest move against government officials tainted by corruption accusations and those perceived to have close links to former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Reuters news agency reports.

Before being dismissed as the head of the armed forces, General Geraldo Sachipengo Nunda was named as a suspect in a scheme to negotiate a fraudulent international credit line of $50bn.

Andre de Oliveira Sango was the head of the country’s foreign intelligence agency for more than a decade under Dos Santos.

Their dismissals were announced on Monday in a presidential decree broadcast on the state radio station.

This comes weeks after Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of the former Angolan president was charged with fraud over an alleged illegal transfer of $500m while he was in charge of the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

His father, Jose Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 38 years and was accused of administering the country’s economy to enrich himself and his associates.

When Lourenco took over power from Dos Santos last September, he promised to tackle the culture of corruption and bring social and economic reforms to the country.