Angolan President João Lourenço has granted pardons to around 50 prisoners, including José Filomeno dos Santos, the son of former president José Eduardo dos Santos.
The decision was announced via a presidential decree shared on Facebook on Wednesday, citing “good behaviour” and the “absence of social danger” as reasons for the clemency.
José Eduardo dos Santos, who passed away in 2022, ruled Angola for nearly four decades, from 1979 to 2017. His son, José Filomeno, aged 46, was convicted of embezzlement, influence trafficking, and fraud. In 2020, he received a five-year prison sentence after $500 million was illicitly transferred from Angola’s national bank to an account in the United Kingdom. Three other individuals, including the former governor of Angola’s central bank, were also sentenced in the landmark corruption case—the first major conviction of its kind since power shifted to Lourenço.
The pardon is part of broader celebrations marking the upcoming 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence from Portugal in 2025. According to the decree, the move aims to foster a “climate of harmony, leniency, indulgence, concord and fraternity.”
In a related development, the United Kingdom government sanctioned Isabel dos Santos, another child of the late José Eduardo dos Santos, in November. Isabel, a billionaire businesswoman and once considered Africa’s richest woman, has faced allegations of systematic corruption.
According to the UK government, 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 is currently wanted by Angolan authorities for alleged financial improprieties during her tenure at the national oil company, Sonangol, between 2016 and 2017.
The Dos Santos family has rejected the allegations, claiming they are victims of a political “witch hunt” under President Lourenço’s administration. This sentiment adds to the ongoing tensions between the current government and loyalists of the previous regime.
