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Angola

Angola court orders seizure of Isabel dos Santos's assets

Source: BBC News:
December 31, 2019 at 09:57
Isabel dos Santos Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on 14 May 2018 in Cannes, FranceImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES / Isabel dos Santos, 46, currently lives abroad
Isabel dos Santos Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on 14 May 2018 in Cannes, FranceImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES / Isabel dos Santos, 46, currently lives abroad

An Angolan court has ordered the seizure of the assets and bank accounts of the billionaire daughter of ex-President José Eduardo dos Santos.

The seizure appears to be part of an anti-corruption drive by the current government in oil-rich Angola.

The administration of President Joao Lourenço is seeking to recover $1bn (£760m) it says it is owed by Isabel dos Santos and her associates.

She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing during her father's term in office.

Often described as Africa's richest woman, Ms Dos Santos is estimated by Forbes magazine to have a fortune of $2.2bn.

The 46-year-old lives abroad, saying she moved from Angola because her life had been threatened.

She runs a huge business empire with stakes in companies in Angola and Portugal, where she has shares in cable television firm Nos SGPS.

The court ordered the freezing of Ms Dos Santos' Angolan bank accounts and the seizure of her stake in local companies, including telecoms giant Unitel and bank Fomento de Angola (BFA), the state-owned news agency reported.

In a tweet, Ms Dos Santos did not refer directly to the court order, but said that "the road is long, the truth will prevail".

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