The Angolan attorney general has requested the Portuguese Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action (Departamento Central de Investigação e Acção Penal - DCIAP) to seize nine real estate properties in Portugal owned by entities linked to the TAP Air Portugal (TP, Lisbon) and Sonair (SOR, Luanda) money laundering case, Sábado has reported.
The names of the entities or individuals owning the specific properties have not been revealed. Reportedly, they are owned by seven entities, mostly offshore companies.
Judge Ivo Rosa subsequently decided to return the properties to their owners and, for the time being, not bring them to court.
The corruption investigation relates to an alleged fictitious maintenance contract between Sonair and TAP wherein the Angolan carrier is suspected of paying EUR25 million euros between 2008 and 2017 to its Portuguese counterpart for services that were neither required nor ever actually performed. In addition, intermediary Worldair is suspected of having received two-thirds of the entire amount as commissions.
TAP itself is not a defendant in the case. Instead, former administrator Fernando...
