Angolan billionaire Isabel dos Santos, who is embroiled in a huge financial scandal, has suggested that she may seek to become the country’s president.
In a BBC interview, Ms Dos Santos pointedly declined four times to rule out running for the presidency. Her father José Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola for 38 years. Prosecutors are seeking to recover $1bn (£760m) Ms Dos Santos and her associates are alleged to owe the state.
She has denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Dos Santos, 46, is one of the world’s richest women, with Forbes magazine estimating her fortune to be worth $2.2bn.
Her father controversially appointed her as the head of Angola’s state-owned oil firm Sonangol in 2016.
She was sacked from the post in 2017 by President Joao Lourenço, her father’s handpicked successor.
In an interview in London, she repeatedly stressed that her life was at risk if she returned to Angola in the current circumstances.
Refusing to rule out the possibility of running for president, she said she had a strong sense of patriotism and duty to her country.
Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC
