Four prominent human rights organizations in Angola recently sent a letter to the Attorney General’s offices in Angola and Portugal regarding the seized assets of former presidential daughter Isabel dos Santos. The assets were confiscated in 2020 after the “Luanda Leaks” exposé by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed alleged conflicts of interest and nepotism within the Angolan presidential family.
The organizations suspect that dos Santos may have transferred large sums of money owed to the Angolan state to Dubai or other tax havens. Despite accusations of corruption and embezzlement, no legal proceedings have been initiated against her. The slow progress in reclaiming her assets abroad has been criticized, with concerns raised about the lack of action by the Angolan judiciary.
Portuguese lawyer Rui Verde suggested that frozen assets could be used to settle dos Santos’ debts with Portuguese banks, explaining the delay in transferring the seized funds. The Angolan NGOs are keeping the pressure on the judiciary to account for the whereabouts of dos Santos’ assets and shed light on potential complicity by government authorities.