afrol News, 26 November - Angola’s main opposition party, UNITA has demanded that President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, should name government officials accused of embezzling off the wealth of Africa's top oil producer.

The president accused the state officials of squandering state resources and taking advantage of weak supervision over government spending.

UNITA leader, Isaias Samakuva, also called on the government to divulge the amount of money embezzled by the officials. “The war-scarred country's oil wealth had turned many in the ruling party into millionaires,” he said.

News reports quoted Mr Samakuva saying that it is critical that Angolans know the names of the government officials accused of defrauding the state.

He said the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was to blame for the corruption and said he would submit a vote of no confidence against the government in parliament.

The statement, issued days after Mr dos Santos called for a graft crackdown, was short on details and did not say how many officials were involved, how much money had been stolen or when the charges might be expected.

In its 2009 index, the global corruption watchdog, Transparency International, ranked Angola among the 18 most graft-ridden countries in the world.

Angola is one of Africa's major oil producers, but it remains one of the world's poorest countries.

The country is striving to tackle the physical, social and political legacy of the 27-year civil war that ravaged the country after independence.

The ruling MPLA and the rebel group Unita were bitter rivals even before the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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