Filomeno dos Santos is linked to two legal proceedings, and this pardon concerns the case that became known as '500 million'. 'Zenu', at the time president of the Angolan Sovereign Fund, the former governor of the National Bank of Angola (BNA) and two other employees of the institution were convicted of fraud, influence peddling and embezzlement, in a process that involved the transfer illicit transfer of $500 million from the BNA to a bank in London. Filomeno dos Santos was sentenced to five years in prison, which he began serving in 2020.
However, after an appeal that resulted in the conviction being upheld by the Supreme Court, a new appeal to the Constitutional Court would come to support the defendants, creating an impasse. Thus, since April last year there has been no understanding between the courts, and a kind of 'institutional war' has been established. Thus, Filomeno dos Santos has always responded to this process in freedom, although he is prevented from leaving the country.
However, the former president's son explains that he finds no sense in accepting a presidential pardon for a crime he says he did not commit and of which he was acquitted by the Supreme Court. In a letter sent to João Lourenço, to which the Portuguese television channel SIC had access, he explains that the pardon is a "legal mistake" as it only aims to "annul the fulfillment of the sentence, a situation that would seriously compromise the full exercise of rights". basics".
SIC explains that once acquitted by the Constitutional Court, accepting the pardon will be a new conviction, since the pardon aims to avoid serving the sentence, but the effects of the conviction remain.
José Filomeno dos Santos is also linked to a second case, concerning the management of the Angolan Sovereign Fund. As part of this process, he was effectively detained for six months in 2018. As there are no recent communications about it, it can be deduced that it is archived, but without official confirmation.
The President of the Republic has not yet spoken out about the denial of the pardon, granted to 51 convicts who stopped serving their sentences on January 1st.
