Isabel dos Santos hits out at UK 'dirty money' sanctions

Angolan tycoon Isabel dos Santos, once dubbed “the richest woman in Africa”, has hit out at the UK for imposing sanctions on her, telling the BBC the move was a surprise because it had not been found guilty of “any corruption in any court in any country.”

Last month, the daughter of Angola's former president was described by the UK government as a “notorious kleptocrat” and was hit with an asset freeze and travel ban for allegedly siphoning wealth out of Angola full of oil.

She said the Angolan government was behind a campaign to tarnish her image.

“It's political at the end of the day,” Dos Santos, 51, told the BBC Africa Daily podcast from her base in Dubai.

“There was no investigation, where someone came and investigated and looked at evidence or asked me to clarify. There was no due process,” she said.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the sanctions on Dos Santos as part of his drive to crack down on “dirty money”.

Alleged government statement she had “systematically abused her positions at state-owned companies to embezzle at least £350m ($442m), depriving Angola of resources and funding for much-needed development big”.

A spokesman for Angola's attorney general said it was not a political institution and only investigated evidence of alleged crimes. They said she had been accused of several crimes and therefore had to defend herself.

A spokesman for the British foreign office said that under the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions Rules, the UK could “nominate a person where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the person is or is involved in serious corruption “. They also pointed out that anyone who receives a permit could request a review at any time.

The allegations against Dos Santos, which she denies, were first made in 2020 when BBC Panorama reported on leaked documents which was shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The exposé, known as “Luanda Leaks”, said that one of the most suspicious deals was made through a company based in London.

Dos Santos, the eldest daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos – in power from 1979 to 2017 – was educated at private schools in the UK during Angola's long civil war.

After graduating from King's College London as an electrical engineer, she took an office job at a consulting firm in Europe.

But in her early twenties, Dos Santos decided she wanted to pursue a more entrepreneurial career at home, telling the BBC she started by delivering crates of beer – Uber-style – to restaurants and shops.

She went on to build a huge business empire, founding a mobile phone company, a satellite TV operator, a commercial bank, a brewery and a cement factory – with stakes in other companies in Angola and Portugal.

A month before her 40th birthday, she reached the Forbes magazine rich list and was said to be not only the richest woman in Africa but also the youngest billionaire on the continent.

Dos Santos told BBC Africa Daily that she never thought of herself that way but considered herself a “beginner”.

“I am also the largest private employer in my country. I have created over 200,000 jobs. I have been one of the largest taxpayers in my country and contributed the most to the economy build Angola.”

In 2016, she was controversially put in charge of the state-owned oil company, Sonangol. Her position was challenged by critics at the time but the Supreme Court upheld it, she said.

“I had a good history in the private sector. I have special experience in turning around companies… that are not doing well, to lead them to efficiency.”

Some of the most serious corruption allegations against her date from her time in charge of Sonangol.

Within months of her father's resignation in 2017, she was dismissed by his chosen successor, President Joao Lourenço, and two years later her assets were frozen .

Angola's first daughter believes that Lourenço, who targeted the Dos Santos family as part of an anti-corruption campaign, has betrayed her father: “He started blaming him the past tense, saying that everything that happened before was bad.

“But he himself is from the MPLA (management), he was the vice-president of the party. He was the defense minister.

“If anything, I think it had a lot more to do with the Angolan economy and Angolan decisions and political decisions than most Angolans.”

Dos Santos is also angry that, despite having his assets frozen in Angola five years ago, the case has yet to be heard in court – something she says would normally happen on her side. -within, at most, 18 months as it is a civil case which tends to involve. allegations of unpaid debts. She says she doesn't have any lawsuits.

She also claims that the original freezing order was based on false documents, including a passport in her name bearing the signature of the late martial arts expert Bruce Lee.

A spokesman for Angola's attorney general said it would not discuss publicly the details of any ongoing legal disputes, but said any evidence that documents had been hidden should be presented to the court

By 2021 Forbes had dropped her from the list of top billionaires – Dos Santos explains that the asset freeze means she will no longer receive dividend payments and is barred from receiving financial contributions any from her companies.

The mother of three has also had to deal with personal loss over the past few years – her husband died in a diving accident and when her father died in 2022, she did not go back to Angola to attend his funeral.

If she were to return to Angola, she may face arrest – at the behest of the government, Interpol has issued a Red Notice, which is a request to “find and arrest” someone temporarily”, but it is not an international arrest warrant.

Dos Santos says after those difficult years and further asset freezes, she now wants people to hear her side of a “complicated” story to “hopefully start to clear up the misconceptions.” there is clarification”.

When asked if she would ever stand for president, she said it was a “possibility” – echoing comments she made to the BBC four years ago.

“Look, I will always serve my country,” she said. “To lead is to serve, and I want to serve Angola, whether in politics, or in business, whether in philanthropy or culture.