In an interview with the BBC's Panorama programme, which was broadcast this Monday, Isabel dos Santos argued that "the Angolan authorities have embarked on a very, very selective witch hunt, which serves the purpose of saying that there are two or three people related to the Santos family".
"I am sorry that Angola has chosen this path, I think we all have a lot to lose," said Isabel dos Santos.
The businesswoman argues that the companies she has launched in the last 20 years are competent and run by good professionals, and rejects the idea that being the daughter of the former President of Angola is synonymous with guilt.
"Looking at my background, you see the work I've done and the companies I've built are certainly commercial companies," she said, adding: "Is there anything wrong with an Angolan person having a business with a state company? I think there's nothing wrong, you have to understand that you can't say that because a person is someone's child they are immediately guilty, and that's why there is a lot of prejudice," she said.
Asked by the interviewer whether the fact that she is the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos should not require more care in business, Isabel dos Santos replied: "Absolutely".
"All my businesses have extremely good boards of directors, we have the best CEO [executive president], the best COO [financial director], the best legal departments, and people are experienced professionals, who have worked in other companies, and we are very competent," she concluded.