ISABEL DOS SANTOS: Angolan ex-President’s daughter hit with US visa restrictions

The United States immigration authorities will deny Angolan billionaire, Isabel Dos Santos, who was once regarded as Africa’s richest woman, entry to the country over her alleged involvement in significant corruption.

The US immigration said in a statement on Saturday that the name of Ms. Dos Santos, who is the daughter of Angola’s former president, José Eduardo dos Santos, appeared on a list of people accused of corruption and facing sanctions released by the State Department.

Ms. Dos Santos, 48, was the head of Angola state-owned Oil Company and was said to have corruptly enriched herself under her father’s watch.

The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, said Ms. Dos Santos used her position to engage in corruption by “misappropriating public funds for her personal benefit.”

The visa restrictions will bar Ms. Dos Santos and her immediate family members from entering the US.

READ ALSO: Protests break out in Angola as country marks 60th anniversary of armed struggle

In 2013, Forbes declared the ex-President’s daughter the richest woman in Africa, with an estimated net worth of $3.5billion (£2.6billion).

She was dropped from the list in 2020, with Forbes estimating that $1.6billion in assets are frozen in Angola and Portugal.

But Ms. Dos Santos was still believed to be worth over $2billion in January 2020.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has linked her to luxury apartments in London and Lisbon as well as a $35million yacht purchased through a shell company.

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