Angolan activist wants Isabel dos Santos out of state oil firm

Pressure continues to mount on Angola’s Isabel dos Santos, to step down from her position as the head of Sonangol.

The latest call comes from renowned Angolan human rights campaigner, Rafael Marques, who has asked the country’s attorney general to revoke the appointment of Africa’s richest woman.

He accuses the president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Isabel’s father, of acting unconstitutionally by firing the board early this month, and putting his daughter in charge of the state energy firm.

“The appointments as a consequence of these reforms that are underway, are also unconstitutional because they are illegal. The president uses his decrees, his powers to award state contracts to his families,” he said.

Queen Isabel takes over Sonangol pic.twitter.com/E2bCSUs9FN

— R Soares de Oliveira (@S_de_Oliveira) June 10, 2016

The 73 year old president who has ruled the country since 1979, had already appointed one of his sons to head the state sovereign wealth fund. The latest appointment of Isabel is viewed as a move to cement his dynastic grip on the power in the southern Africa country.

Isabel already has stakes in major companies both in Angola and Portugal.

According to media reports, she continues to defend her appointment by saying that she was chosen because of her business acumen rather than her family connections.

Angola is currently Africa’s top oil producer and said in April that it would restructure Sonangol to increase efficiency and profitability.

Reuters