In an interview published this Friday in the Portuguese weekly Expresso, the daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos defended herself against accusations that she is being targeted. "When our father is someone powerful, we are an easy target. It's easy to say we got this or that through influence, but that's not true. I didn't receive any subsidies or government support, no access, no loans that weren't repaid. That's all based on falsified documents," she said.
The businesswoman also left assurances that she is not running away from the authorities, stating that they even know where she lives: "I am not hiding or running away. Both the Angolan and Portuguese authorities know my address."
Regarding Angola, Isabel dos Santos said she thought that if she returned to her country "she would be arrested".
"If I went back to Angola, I think I would be arrested. I don't think Angola is a safe place for me," she said.
Among other aspects, in the interview published by Expresso, the businesswoman also spoke about her father, describing him as a simple man.
"He didn't care about houses or luxuries. He didn't believe in that. It wasn't his style. He didn't have jets and big houses. He wore sneakers, wore polos and the same Adidas tracksuit three days a week," she revealed, adding: "Until 2004 he lived in a small three-bedroom house. He was practically forcibly taken to the presidential palace. And even there he didn't like the official rooms and the presidential suite. He didn't feel comfortable. He preferred the smaller rooms on the upper floor."
The death of her husband, Sindika Dokolo, was also a topic of conversation. The daughter of the former President of the Republic said that her husband's death is "a mystery".
"I don't think I'll ever know for sure what happened and I have to accept that," she added.
