Luanda: The National Assembly approved on Thursday amendments to the Law on Prevention and Combating Money Laundering. The updated law holds individuals criminally accountable even if the perpetrator of the underlying offense is unknown, deceased, or benefits from immunity.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the law also establishes that money laundering proceedings can proceed even when the crime has been covered by amnesty, statute of limitations, pardon, forgiveness, or other legal cause that prevents the accountability of the perpetrator of the original offense.
The measure responds to the shortcomings identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the evaluation of the Angolan system for preventing and combating money laundering. It also strengthens the punishment of offenses associated with money laundering, including participation, association, conspiracy, attempt, aiding, abetting, and advising on the commission of the crime, aligning national legislation with international standards.
Another relevant change concerns the Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) regime. The law redefines the concept of family members covered by enhanced due diligence measures, restricting it to ascending and descending direct relatives, as well as their respective spouses or partners in a stable union. It also eliminates the reference to people with "close personal relationships," as it was considered that the expression allowed for subjective interpretations in the identification of related Politically Exposed Persons.
The amendments reinforce the role of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), considered a central piece of the National System for the Prevention and Repression of Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism, and the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
According to MP Viglio Tyova, the MPLA voted in favor because it considers that the legislation represents an important step in the process of consolidating Angola as a modern, responsible, cooperative state aligned with the best international standards in the control of illicit financial flows. The MP emphasized that the circulation of capital of illicit origin weakens institutions, distorts competition, reduces public trust, and creates space for corruption, organized crime, and other threats to development.
UNITA MP Mihaela Weba stated that the parliamentary group voted in favor, convinced that the approval of the legislation will contribute to overcoming the weaknesses that led the European Union to place the country on the list of countries prone to terrorist financing, due to the weaknesses in the financial system identified in the 2025 IMF and World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program report.
