Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos and her Congolese husband Sindika Dokolo have decided to challenge the freezing of their assets. Their asset was frozen in the context of an investigation for embezzlement of public funds.
Isabel dos Santos is the daughter of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos (1979-2017). Ms dos Santos and her husband businessman are accused by the courts of looting Angola’s coffers for their personal use.
According to the Angolan public prosecutor’s office, the Luanda government has put the value of the embezzlement at $5 billion.
Ms dos Santos, 47, runs an empire made up of numerous companies in the telephone and mining sectors. She has also acquired stakes in other groups, including banks, in Portugal. Ms dos Santos denies any embezzlement and denounces a political witch hunt against her.
As part of their investigations, the Angolan and Portuguese courts recently ordered the freezing of its bank accounts and the seizure of some of its assets in both countries.
Dos Santos accuses Angolan Courts of Political witch hunt
In early May, Isabel dos Santos claimed that the decision to freeze her assets was based on a false passport in her name. For this reason, the couple’s lawyer, Walter Tondela, referred the matter to the Angolan High Council of the Judiciary.
Related: Isabel dos Santos officially charged with fraud
“I confirm that the freezing was ordered on the basis of documents that we consider falsified by the Angolan justice system with the sole aim of allowing such a measure”. In saying this, Tondela is also accusing the attorney general of deliberately misleading justice.
The lawyer therefore challenged before the Council the magistrate’s decision, in his view, “illegal and unconstitutional”.
The prosecutor’s office had described Ms. dos Santos’ allegations as a joke. They also assured that the decision to freeze her assets had been based on other documents.
During his 38 years in power, Jose Eduardo dos Santos has put the economy of his country, one of the poorest in the world despite its oil reserves, on the back burner for the benefit of a handful of family members.
President since 2017, Joao Lourenço dismissed the relatives of his predecessor in the name of the fight against corruption.
