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Angola’s fight against corruption within its public institutions has intensified following the arrest of another official from the General Tax Administration (AGT) for his alleged role in a high-profile tax fraud scheme.
The 41-year-old suspect, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was apprehended on Saturday by the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), according to a statement by Chief Superintendent Manuel Halaiwa, spokesperson for SIC-General.
The arrest adds to the growing list of officials implicated in a network accused of manipulating Angola’s tax processing systems to embezzle state funds.
“This individual was part of a scheme that caused considerable damage to the national tax system,” Halaiwa said.
The official served as a tax technician in the division responsible for large taxpayers.
He now faces serious charges, including unlawful access to information systems, breach of data privacy, computer fraud, criminal association, and embezzlement.
Authorities say there is strong evidence linking him directly to a fraudulent VAT refund operation.
According to Halaiwa, the suspect exploited a compensation payment mechanism through illegitimate access to AGT’s digital infrastructure.
“The detention of this employee is the result of a thorough and ongoing investigation which uncovered the irregular processing of numerous tax entries using fraudulent access to the system, in which the arrested individual played a direct role,” he stated.
The AGT scandal has sparked national outrage and calls for tighter cybersecurity measures and greater oversight of tax operations.
As investigations continue, more arrests are anticipated, and pressure mounts on the government to demonstrate transparency and restore public trust in Angola’s tax institutions.
