Angolan bank chief named in dos Santos probe resigns

Luanda, Angola | AFP |  The head of one of Angola’s largest banks has resigned after being named in a corruption probe centred around ex-first daughter Isabel dos Santos, according to a letter seen by AFP on Thursday.

Mario Leite da Silva, who was chairman of Banco de Fomento Angola (BFA), the third largest bank in the country, made his announcement in the letter dated January 20, a day after his name appeared in a trove of leaked documents alleging illicit enrichment by the billionaire daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Da Silva was named on Wednesday by the country’s prosecuting authority as one of the five suspects under investigation for fraud and corruption at the state-owned oil giant, Sonangol.

But in his resignation addressed to the bank’s fiscal council, he said he was stepping down on grounds that he had been excluded from a list of new appointees for the BFA’s next board of directors.

The “Luanda Leaks” published at the weekend alleged that Da Silva was a top “personal financial adviser” to Isabel dos Santos.