Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-02
Buying With Them African
Colony of Angola Aim of
Clever SchemerS.
Through Bribery, Bank Start
ed Without Capital Scat
tered Bills Over Country.
BY AUBREY f. G.. BELL.
Correspondence OF The Star and tlA chicago
Daily News.

Daily News.
LISBON, Portugal, August 10.-1n-
tense interest has been aroused
throughout southern Europe in the
forthcoming trial of 20 persons in
volved in the great forgery plot origi-
mated by a group of four clever men,
who planned to buy with forged notes
actual control of Portugals African
colony of Angola. The disclosure of
the plot and the arrest of those in
volved constitutes a strange tale of
intrigue by men intrusted with high
public office.
The story of the fraud goes back to
the Spring of 1924, when Artur Vir-
gilio Alves-Reis. an adventurer, formed
company with three comrades, Jose
dos Santos Eandiera, Dutchman
named Karel Marang and a natural
lied Brazilian of Swiss origin named
Adolph Hennies. These four, with the
help of several government officials,
formed a company with the announced
intention of making a large loan to
the high commissioner Of Angola. Col.
Rego Chaves. After establishing con-
tact with the Portuguese high COM
missioner in Angola the four con-
spirators founded the Bank of Angola.
They had practically no capital, but
through bribery they secured permits
sion to begin business.
Entered Diplomatic Circles.
Bandiera, who acted as chief lieuten-
ant under Alves-Reis, then approached
his brother, DR.. Antonio DIES Santos
Bandiera, Portuguese minister to
Holland. From his relative Bandiera
secured a diplomatic passport and an
official document, which he used for
the purpose of introducing himself
to the directors of we'll known bank
note manufacturing concern in Lon
don, Waterlow & Co. He ordered the
firm to print $50, 900 notes of 500
escudos (roughly, $25 each). or a total
of approximately $14,000,000:
The manufacturers agreed to pro-
coed with the order only after they
received the necessary authorization
from the governor of the Bank OF
Portugal. This authorization was
clevery forged, and in due course
the London engravers began deliver
ing the notes. BY ascertaining the
dates of delivery, the conspirators in
tercepted the shipments of currency
and secreted the boxes in the home
of Count Planas SaureZ, then Vene-
zuelan minister to Portugal, and en-
titled to many diplomatic privileges
and exemptions.
Investigation Ordered.
From time to time a package of the
notes would be put into use through
the newly founded Angola bank,
which grew with amazing rapidity
from an institution with no assets
to one with capital of more than
S. 900 900. Although the govern
ments had been falling every few
weeks, there were some officials serv-
ing under DR.. Domingos Pereira who
remained In office long enough to
become suspicious of the Angola
bank They ordered an investiga-
ton, and after few weeks it was
known that the entire capital of the
organization was based upon the
forged notes, by that time circulating
freely throughout the country. 1t
was also discovered that Jose Ban
deira was an eX-convict who had
served eight years hard labor in a
prison at Pretoria.
Further inquiry revealed the true
intentions of the quartet. The COM
pany they had formed originally to
loan money to the high commissioner
of Angola was in reality intended to
obtain possession of large tracts Of
Angolian territory. BY using the
forged notes the land was to be pur-
chased and then gradually the COM
pany was to seek control Of the Por-
tuguese Colonial bank and finally the
Bank of Portugal itself. Had all gone
well the cOnspiratOrs and their i'm
mediate friends would have owned a
rich colony and would have had COM
plete control Of Portuguese finance.
Fraud Discovered i'm 1925.
The discovery of the fraud was
made toward the end of 1925. At that
time Alves Refs, the ring leader, was
in Angola surveying the country that
he believed already to be his. He re-
turned to Lisbon a few weeks later
and as he stepped from the train he
was placed under arrest.
CONSERVATION seized upon the peo-
pie as one arrest followed another.
Some thought the plot was Matched by
Bolshevists with the idea of causing
a red revolution but that idea quickly
disappeared when it was proved by