Under Fire, Angola’s Dos Santos Says She May Run For President

LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Isabel dos Santos, Africa’s richest woman and the daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, said she may consider running for president, even as she stands accused of causing the government of the oil-producing nation to lose more than $1 billion.

“It’s possible,” Dos Santos said in an interview with Portuguese television channel RTP when asked if she would be interested in the role of president.

The 46-year-old London-educated engineer made a fortune during her father’s 38-year-rule and has a net worth of about $2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Joao Lourenco, who replaced her father as president in 2017, is dismantling the influence of his predecessor’s family over key industries. He fired Isabel as chairwoman of state oil company Sonangol and removed her brother, Jose Filomeno, from the helm of the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Last month, an Angolan court froze the assets of Isabel, her husband Sindika Dokolo, and one of her executives, Mario da Silva. The nation’s top prosecutor alleges the three engaged in transactions with state-owned companies that led to the government incurring losses of $1.14 billion. Dos Santos, who has been living outside Angola since 2018, said that the allegations against her are “false” and based on a “series of lies.”

“We cannot use corruption, or the alleged fight against corruption, in a selective way to neutralize those who we think could be future political candidates,” she said in the RTP interview.

Source: Bloomberg Business News