Manuel Vicente claims that it was the Luso-Angolan businessman Hélder Bataglia who opened the doors of China to Angola, facilitating contact with the Chinese businessman Sam Pa, in a mission guided by José Eduardo dos Santos.
The statements, made by Manuel Vicente on August 6 and November 5, 2020, were read in court on Tuesday (July 8) at the Supreme Court, where the trial of Generals Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Júnior “Kopelipa” and Leopoldino Fragoso do Nascimento “Dino” has been taking place since March 10. They are accused of defrauding the Angolan state of millions of dollars.
Also on trial are businessmen Yiu Haiming, Fernando Gomes, and the companies Plansmart International Limited, Utter Right International Limited, and China International Fund (CIF).
At the time of the events, Manuel Vicente was Chairman of the Board of Sonangol E.P. and coordinator of Angola–China cooperation relations.
Guidance from José Eduardo dos Santos
According to Vicente, he traveled to China several times under the guidance of José Eduardo dos Santos to negotiate financing and investments.
The first amount secured was two billion U.S. dollars (1.6 billion euros), signed at the end of 2003, accompanied at the time by Finance Minister José Pedro de Morais and the Governor of the National Bank of Angola, Amadeu Maurício.
“Hélder Bataglia was the one who informed José Eduardo dos Santos that he knew a Chinese businessman interested in investing in Angola,” revealed the former president of the state oil company.
The Luso-Angolan businessman Hélder Bataglia was one of the founders and president of Escom (Espírito Santo Comércio), the international arm of the Espírito Santo Group (GES) for Africa. His name appeared in several investigations related to the collapse of GES and power networks in Angola, although he has always denied any wrongdoing.
Manuel Vicente also stated that he was one of the founders of the company China Sonangol, headquartered in Hong Kong, comprised of three shareholders: Sonangol E.P. with 30% of the shares, and Chinese businessmen Sam Pa and Madame Lo Fong with 70%.
In Angola, the company only had a representative office, and Vicente served as non-executive Chairman of the Board, with the Chinese partners handling executive roles.
Relationship with China Sonangol
The former executive stated that China Sonangol and Sonangol E.P. were “completely distinct” entities, with no daily operational ties, but the state oil company sold oil to China Sonangol in order to “maintain Angola’s relationship with China” and “avoid selling oil to a single Chinese entity.”
He added that China Sonangol was part of Block 3, operated by Sonangol Pesquisa & Produção, maintaining “a normal business relationship between companies.”
China Sonangol was created in 2004 as a joint venture between Angola’s state-owned Sonangol and Chinese partners represented by the private firm 88 Queensway Group, led by Sam Pa and Lo Fong Hung.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, it became a key channel for Angola–China cooperation after the civil war, funneling bilateral financing and infrastructure investments in exchange for Angolan oil, among other controversial operations.
Confronted with allegations that Sonangol E.P. had financed China Sonangol with $200 million in 2005 and $250 million in 2009, Manuel Vicente denied it, stating these were “capital contributions” — equity payments made by the Angolan state-owned shareholder.
“These were Sonangol E.P. cash funds, and if they weren’t reimbursed, then they needed to be recovered,” he said, emphasizing the need to assess “the investment maturity period to determine the return timeline.”
“Kopelipa” and “Dino” Are Not Shareholders of CIF Angola
According to Manuel Vicente, China Sonangol, as a client of Sonangol E.P., received 27 oil shipments between 2004 and 2006, valued at over $1.5 billion, all of which were fully paid for: “It is not possible for China Sonangol to receive oil and not pay for it.”
In the 34-page statement read in court today, Manuel Vicente declared that neither “Kopelipa” nor “Dino” are shareholders of CIF Angola, clarifying that General Dino was only brought in to assist with the company’s restructuring, under the guidance of José Eduardo dos Santos.
He also rejected claims that CIF had received oil payments from Sonangol, calling it “impossible to use this mechanism to market this product.”
The defendants face charges of embezzlement, fraud, forgery, criminal association, abuse of power, money laundering, and influence peddling.
According to the prosecution, the targeted companies were allegedly used to set up a scheme around a financing agreement between Angola and China, aimed at national reconstruction after the civil war, involving the China International Fund, its subsidiaries, and Sonangol.
Lusa, 07/08/2025
