TheCable

The Luanda court, Angola, has ordered a temporary seizure of all the assets held by Isabel dos Santos, daughter of ex-President José Eduardo dos Santos.

The order follows a corruption charge of$1.1 billion filed against her by the government.

The court also ordered that the assets of Sindika Dokolo, her husband, and those of Mário Filipe Moreira Leite da Silva, CEO of the Banco de Fomento Angola (BFA bank) be seized.

It also ordered the preventive seizure of existing balances in bank accounts held by the defendants and domiciled in local banking institutions.

According to Angola Press, ANGOP, the country is seeking the return of the funds it said are owed to it by Isabel dos Santos and her business associates.

It said SODIAM – EP and Sonangol –EP transferred huge amounts of money in foreign currency to companies overseas, whose beneficiaries were Isabel dos Santos, her husband and Mário Filipe Moreira Leite da Silva without an agreed return of the monies.

It added that the suspects have recognised the existence of the debt, but argue that they do not have conditions to pay it off.

Isabel dos Santos is ranked as Africa’s wealthiest woman by Forbes. She chaired the state oil company, Sonangol, before being sacked in 2017 by President Joao Lourenço.

She has since denied any wrongdoing during her father’s time in office.