Son of ex-Angolan president in court over corruption trial

Son of former Angolan President Eduardo Dos Santos appeared before a court in the capital Luanda in a case of corruption and embezzlement brought by the state.

José Filomeno dos Santos, has been appearing before a Luanda Supreme Court since Monday. The former head of the Angolan sovereign investment fund is accused of embezzlement and money laundering.

He is charged along with three alleged accomplices, including the former governor of the country’s central bank.

Sergio Raimundo, one of the defense lawyers said: “We will present our defense, because we are attentive to our arguments in favor of the opposite verdict.”

This is the first trial against a family member of the former president. The accused’s half-sister and Africa’s richest woman, Isabel Dos Santos, is also the subject of an investigation for embezzlement.

Since taking office, President Joao Lourenzo has ousted most of his predecessor’s relatives at the head of the country’s financial institutions and major corporations in a move to fight corruption.