Allegations of foul play in death of Angola’s former president
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A daughter of Angola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos, who died on Friday in Barcelona, has demanded the hospital retain his body for a postmortem after allegations of foul play.
Dos Santos, who ruled Africa’s second-biggest oil producer for nearly four decades, died aged 79 at the Teknon clinic in the Spanish city after a prolonged illness, the Angolan presidency said.
The veteran politician was taken to hospital and into intensive care after suffering a cardiac arrest two weeks ago.
Angola’s current head of state, João Lourenço, announced five days of national mourning starting on Friday, when the country’s flag will fly at half-staff and public events will be cancelled.
Dos Santos, who was married four times, is survived by his current wife, Ana Paula, with whom he has three children. He is known to have at least three other children and various grandchildren.
The highest-profile is his oldest daughter Isabel dos Santos, long described as Africa’s richest woman, who has been accused of corruption and nepotism. She has strongly denied both charges and says she is the victim of a political “witch-hunt”.
Another daughter, Welwitschia “Tchize” dos Santos, on Friday filed a legal case against her father’s current wife and his personal physician for attempted murder, police and her lawyers said.
In a statement, lawyers said her complaint included allegations relating to “attempted murder, failure to exercise a duty of care, injury resulting from gross negligence and disclosure of secrets by people close to her father”.
The complaint accuses dos Santos’s wife, Ana Paula, and his personal physician of causing the deterioration in his health. Police said they had opened an inquiry.
Dos Santos was one of the last survivors of a generation of African leaders who came to power after bitter struggles for freedom from European colonial powers.
