Isabel dos Santos, the eldest child of Angola’s late former president, Eduardo dos Santos, has been ordered to be found, arrested and extradited to face corruption charges related to the source of her personal wealth. The 49-year-old billionaire businesswoman is the eldest child of the country’s late former president, Eduardo dos Santos, and was once ranked the richest woman in Africa with a fortune estimated at more than $2 billion.
In an exclusive interview with DW, dos Santos insisted that she was yet to be notified of any arrest warrant but argued that she had cooperated with judicial authorities so far. In 2020, more than 715,000 emails, contracts and memos were made public as part of the so-called Luanda Leaks expose by the New York-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Dos Santos told DW that the leaks were part of a plot against her family. However, Ana Gomes, a Portuguese politician and former member of the European Parliament, said labeling the Luanda Leak The Luanda Leaks investigation is based on revelations made by Rui Pinto and has the credibility of the consortium of journalists who have been behind revelations like the Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers.
Isabel dos Santos denied that her fortune was linked to state resources and said she had accessed loans and other resources only due to her family connections. She also said that Angola does not have a functioning judiciary and that no action has been taken to make dos Santos account for the alleged financial crimes she has committed. The office of Angola’s prosecutor general did not immediately provide comment on dos Santos’ statements or the INTERPOL warrant when contacted by DW.
