Veiga, who came to prominence in Portugal as the agent of several leading professional football players, was detained on Wednesday, along with his partner Paulo Santana Lopes, the brother of a former Prime Minister of Portugal and ex-Lisbon Mayor Pedro Santa Lopes, as part of an investigation by Lisbon public prosecutors into suspected bribery, money laundering and other serious financial crimes.
Dubbed Operation Atlantic Route, the investigation encompasses Europe, Africa and the Americas.
In a statement the central bank, Banco de Cabo Verde, said that Groupe Norwich, which is 100 percent owned by Veiga, on 18 January wrote seeking authorisation to acquire all the shares of Banco Internacional de Cabo Verde (BICV), formerly known as Banco Espírito Santo de Cabo Verde (BESCV), which are currently held by Novo Banco.
“The request in question is being analysed by the Banco de Cabo Verde, in the terms of the law, with the decision to be taken within the deadline determined, “the central bank said, without making clear what the deadline is.
It added “in view of the recent news involving the name of António José da Silva Veiga” that Groupe Norwich had previously sought authorisation from it to set up a bank named Banco Internacional Africano, and that this was rejected on 20 November because it did not meet the necessary legal requirements.