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Thursday, September 27, 2018
Angolan authorities have moved against the former ruling Dos Santos family and its allies, issuing arrest warrants and shutting down the private terminal at Luanda’s Quattro de Fevereiro Airport on September 25, according to a release by Executive Research Associates (ERA) out of South Africa.
ERA says “key among these actions was the arrest of Jose Filomeno dos Santos, the son of former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, on September 24 on charges of corruption and money laundering. Dos Santos has been charged with abusing his tenure as head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund ‒ during which he committed fraud and money laundering ‒ and illegally smuggling $500 million of state funds to the UK. In addition to Dos Santos, controversial Angolan businessperson and key Dos Santos ally, Jean Claude Bastos was also arrested for facilitating crime on behalf of the Dos Santos family.
“Authorities have indicated that they intend to issue further arrest warrants and this is likely the start of an escalation in the anti-corruption crackdown. Accordingly, officials ordered the suspension of the services of private planes and helicopters at Quattro de Fevereiro Airport and other private terminals in the country in order to prevent current and former officials and corrupt businesspeople from fleeing the country, potentially smuggling looted funds with them.”
Current President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, previously Defense Minister under dos Santos, has taken strong steps to purge out corruption since he took office, including reform of the Angolan state and his overt campaign to rid the country of Dos Santos’ control and influence.
ERA stated, “When he assumed office, many observers felt he would have limited ability to act and that the Dos Santos family would retain control of the levers of state. However, in the past year, he has successfully removed Jose Filomeno dos Santos from the sovereign wealth fund and fired Isabel dos Santos (Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ daughter) from the state oil company Sonangol. The arrest of Jose Filomeno dos Santos is the most tangible demonstration yet of progress in the ongoing investigation into corruption perpetrated under the former administration
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