Isabel dos Santos Criticizes UK Sanctions for ‘Dirty Money’ Allegations

Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, once recognized as “Africa’s richest woman,” has voiced her disapproval of the UK’s decision to impose sanctions on her. She informed the BBC that the action came as a surprise, asserting that she had not been found guilty of “any corruption in any court in any country.” Last month, the UK government characterized the daughter of Angola’s former president as a “notorious kleptocrat” and enacted an asset freeze and travel ban against her, citing allegations of siphoning wealth from oil-rich Angola. She claimed that the Angolan government was orchestrating a campaign to damage her public image. “It’s political at the end of the day,” Dos Santos, 51, stated to the BBC Africa Daily podcast from her residence in Dubai. She added, “There was not an inquiry, where somebody came and investigated and looked at evidence or asked me to clarify. There was no due process.” UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the sanctions against Dos Santos as part of his broader initiative to combat “dirty money.” A government statement alleged that she had “systematically abused her positions at state-run companies to embezzle at least £350m [$442m], depriving Angola of resources and funding for much-needed development.” A spokesperson for Angola’s attorney-general stated that their institution is not political and solely investigates evidence of alleged criminality. They indicated that she had been accused of several crimes and therefore needed to defend herself. A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office explained that under the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions Regulations, the UK has the authority to “designate an individual where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the individual is or has been involved in serious corruption.” They also pointed out that any sanctioned individual could request a review at any time. The allegations against Dos Santos, which she denies, first emerged in 2020 when BBC Panorama reported on leaked documents that had been shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The exposé, known as “Luanda Leaks,” claimed that one of the most questionable transactions had been conducted through a London-based company. Dos Santos, the eldest daughter of former President José Eduardo dos Santos — who held power from 1979 to 2017 — received her education at private schools in the UK during Angola’s prolonged civil war. After completing her degree in electrical engineering at King’s College London, she secured an office position at a consultancy firm in Europe. However, in her early twenties, Dos Santos decided to pursue a more entrepreneurial career in her home country, telling the BBC that she began by delivering crates of beer — Uber style — to restaurants and shops. She subsequently built an extensive business empire, establishing a mobile phone company, a satellite TV operator, a commercial bank, a brewery, and a cement factory, alongside holding stakes in other companies in Angola and Portugal. A month before her 40th birthday, she was included in Forbes magazine’s list of wealthy individuals and was reportedly not only Africa’s richest woman but also the continent’s youngest billionaire. Dos Santos conveyed to BBC Africa Daily that she never perceived herself in that manner, but rather as a “pioneer.” She stated, “I’m also my country’s largest private employer. I’ve created over 200,000 jobs. I’ve been one of my country’s largest taxpayers and contributed the most to build Angola’s economy.” In 2016, she was controversially appointed to lead the struggling state-owned oil firm, Sonangol. She mentioned that her appointment faced challenges from critics at the time, but the Supreme Court upheld it. “I did have a track record in the private sector. I have a particular knowledge of turning around companies… that are not doing well, to drive them to efficiency.” Some of the most serious allegations of corruption against her stem from her period 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 former first daughter believes Lourenço, who targeted the Dos Santos family as part of an anti-corruption initiative, has betrayed her father: “He started blaming the past, saying that everything that happened before him was bad.” She added, “But he himself is from the [ruling] MPLA, he was the vice-president of the party. He was minister of defence.” She further asserted, “If anything, I think he had a lot more to do with the Angolan economy and the Angolan decision-making and the political decision-making than most Angolans.” Dos Santos also expressed frustration that her case has not yet been heard in court, despite her assets in Angola being frozen five years ago. She claims that such a civil case, typically involving allegations of unpaid debts, would ordinarily be heard within a maximum of 18 months. She maintains that she is not subject to any criminal proceedings. Furthermore, she alleges that the initial freezing order relied on fabricated documents, among them a passport in her name featuring the signature of the deceased martial arts expert Bruce Lee. The spokesperson for Angola’s attorney-general stated that they would not publicly discuss the specifics of any active legal disagreements but affirmed that any proof of falsified documents ought to be submitted in court. By 2021, Forbes had removed her from its roster of leading billionaires. Dos Santos clarified that the asset freeze prevents her from receiving dividend payments and any financial contributions from her businesses. The mother of three has also experienced personal tragedies in recent years; her husband passed away in a diving accident, and she did not return to Angola for her father’s funeral when he died in 2022. Should she return to Angola, she could potentially face arrest. At the request of the government, Interpol has issued a Red Notice, which serves as a request to “locate and provisionally arrest” an individual, though it does not constitute an international arrest warrant. Dos Santos expressed that following these challenging years and additional asset freezes, she now desires for her perspective on a “complex” narrative to be heard, with the aim to “hopefully start clarifying the misconceptions that exist.” When questioned about a potential presidential candidacy, she responded that it was “a possibility,” reiterating remarks she had made to the BBC four years prior. She stated, “Look, I will always serve my country. To lead is to serve, and I wish to serve Angola, whether it’s in politics, or whether it’s in business, whether it’s in philanthropy, or culture.”