Angolan President Joao Lourenço has pardoned around 50 prisoners, including José Filomeno dos Santos, the son of former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who was serving a five-year sentence for corruption-related crimes.
The pardon, announced via a presidential decree on Wednesday, cited the prisoners’ “good behavior” and “lack of social danger” as reasons for their release.
José Filomeno dos Santos, 46, was convicted in 2020 for embezzlement and influence peddling, notably involving the fraudulent transfer of $500 million from Angola’s national bank to an account in the UK. This marked the country’s first major corruption conviction since Lourenço assumed office in 2017, succeeding Dos Santos, who led Angola for 38 years until his death in 2022.
The decree stated the pardons were granted to foster a “climate of harmony, leniency, indulgence, concord, and fraternity” ahead of Angola’s 50th anniversary of independence from Portugal next year. Among those pardoned were three other individuals, including a former governor of the national bank.
The decision comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Dos Santos family. In November, the UK sanctioned Isabel dos Santos, José Eduardo dos Santos’ daughter, as part of an anti-corruption initiative. Isabel, once considered Africa’s richest woman, is accused of embezzling at least £350 million ($443 million) during her tenure at Angola’s state oil company, Sonangol, between 2016 and 2017.
The family has dismissed these actions as a politically motivated “witch hunt.”