Mainly since the approval of the Plan to Combat Corruption in 2018-2022 by the PGR, the most recent adhesion to the EITI – Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative – last June, as well as legislative reinforcements in terms of Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, all commitments that actively contributed to the improvement of the country in the Corruption Perception Index, from 142nd in 2020 to 136th in 2021, and whose new improvement is already anticipated in the 2022 index.

It is expected that this commitment at the highest level will be reinforced through the proposal for a National Plan for the Prevention and Repression of Corruption, which should be placed in public consultation later this year. It is expected that this Plan reinforces the need to implement Compliance mechanisms, very focused on the prevention and detection of fraud and corruption, for the public and private sectors, namely in:

Adoption of Codes of Conduct;

Implementation of a Corruption Risk Prevention Plan;

Implementation of the Reporting Channel;

Specific training for recipients and communication/dissemination;

Among others.

It is also expected that the new Plan provides for the application of administrative offenses to non-compliant entities. In fact, similar to what happens in other jurisdictions.

Finally, we believe it is critical that, in addition to the need for the Plan to be approved, that, of course, an entity be created that can effectively supervise and monitor compliance, whether through the recovery and adaptation of the so-called “High Authority Against Corruption” (Law n.º 3/96), or through another independent entity, which can fulfill this pressing need for enforcement.

Summary

The implementation of this Plan will certainly contribute to the reinforcement of a culture of Prevention, but also of Detection and Repression, which will boost internal and external confidence in the country, allowing, even if in addition to the aforementioned, an environment of transparency, ethics and integrity and that Angola continues to improve, by leaps and bounds, in these matters.

Source: EY