Angolan President João Lourenço has pardoned approximately 50 prisoners, including the son of his predecessor, José Eduardo dos Santos, who was serving a five-year sentence for embezzlement.
A presidential decree posted on Facebook on Wednesday cited “good behaviour” and the “absence of social danger” as reasons for granting the pardon.
José Eduardo dos Santos, who passed away in 2022, governed Angola for 38 years until 2017. His son, José Filomeno dos Santos, 46, was convicted on charges including embezzlement and influence peddling.
He was imprisoned in 2020 for fraud after $500 million was transferred from the National Bank of Angola to a UK account. Three others, including the former governor of Angola’s national bank, were also sentenced. This conviction marked Angola’s first significant corruption case since the transfer of power.
The pardon was granted in light of the upcoming 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence from Portugal, with the decree emphasising its aim to promote a “climate of harmony, leniency, indulgence, concord, and fraternity.”
In November, the UK government imposed sanctions on Isabel dos Santos, a billionaire businesswoman and the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos, as part of a new anti-corruption initiative. The UK government claims she “systematically abused her positions at state-run companies to embezzle at least £350 million ($443 million), depriving Angola of resources and funding for much-needed development.”
Isabel dos Santos, considered Africa’s richest woman, is currently wanted by Angolan authorities investigating alleged misconduct during her management of the national oil company Sonangol between 2016 and 2017.
The Dos Santos family asserts they are being subjected to a political witch hunt.
AFP
