Luanda, ANGOLA:
The son of Angola's ex-President JosĂ© Eduardo dos Santos has been formally accused of fraud over the alleged illegal transfer of $500m (£350m) from the central bank to the United Kingdom.
José Filomeno dos Santos born on 9 January 1978 (age 40) is also barred from leaving the country, deputy Attorney General Luis Benza Zanga said.
Mr Dos Santos is the highest profile person targeted in new President João Lourenço's anti-corruption drive.
He had led oil-rich Angola's sovereign wealth fund during his father's rule.
However, he was removed from this role in January, months after a BBC investigation into Angola's $5bn fund and following an internal governance review.
The allegations against him relate to the $500m transferred to a British bank, which was then frozen by authorities in the UK. The UK say the money can now be returned.
Mr Dos Santos was formally named a suspect in the investigation, along with the former governor of Angola's central bank, Valter Filipe da Silva.
Neither was immediately available for comment.
Mr Zanga said there was no chance of the case falling under any sort of amnesty currently being offered by the government.
"A pardon will not work... this case will run to its final outcome,"
he said.
he said.
Mr Dos Santos was the second of the former president's children to be dismissed by Mr Lourenço.
His sister Isabel was removed as head of the state oil company Sonangol last year.
Billionaire Isabel Dos Santos is Africa's richest woman; it is not known how much her brother is worth. Many of the former president's children have government-linked roles.
Isabel Dos Santos. |
His father stepped down after 38 years in power last year.
Angola's new current president Mr Lourenço, also known as JLo, succeeded Dos Santos with a promise of cracking down on corruption.
He has also developed a reputation for pushing aside powerful figures associated with his predecessor.
João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço is a current President of Angola since 26 September 2017. |
Angola is Africa's second-biggest oil producer.
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