In a letter to which Lusa had access and in which they set out their position regarding the celebration of a national funeral for their father, which they propose that it be held only after the elections, the five eldest children of the former president also say that "it has arrived time to apologize" and put an end to legal proceedings.
Some of José Eduardo dos Santos' children, namely the eldest, businesswoman Isabel dos Santos and her brother José Filomeno dos Santos "Zenu", as well as close collaborators of the former President, such as generals "Dino" and "Kopelipa" face lawsuits in the Angolan courts, which in the opinion of some analysts is seen as selective justice.
President Joao Lourenço, who received power from Eduardo dos Santos and took office in September 2017, elected the fight against corruption as the main banner of his mandate and has denied the selectivity of the Angolan courts, saying that the criterion is whether or not crimes have been committed and that it will continue to try to recover the State assets that have been embezzled.
In the letter signed by Isabel, José Filomeno "Zenu", Welwitschea "Tchizé", Joess and José Eduardo Paulino "Coreon Dú", the children point out that Jose Eduardo dos Santos voluntarily withdrew from public affairs, implementing the "mechanisms for democratic change and peaceful leadership".
However, they write, "instead of peaceful and deserved reform, he silently faced attacks aimed at destroying his image and his political and social work", an injustice that "led to the division of society and the weakening of the country".
"To restore national unity and harmony, the time has come to apologize and repair the damage caused to the tireless Architect of Peace [José Eduardo dos Santos]", suggest the five signatories of the letter, to which Lusa had access.
They believe, therefore, that the consolidation of the political legacy of what they call the "Father of the Nation" requires the adoption of a general amnesty law and the end of judicial and institutional proceedings against many Angolans.
"Everyone should be invited to actively participate and do their best to build their country, Angola", write the five eldest children, appealing for respect for mourning and committing to collaborate in holding a national funeral after the elections.
Isabel dos Santos is currently facing civil and criminal proceedings in Angola where, in December 2019, the Luanda Provincial Court decreed the preventive seizure of bank accounts of her, her husband, Congolese Sindika Dokolo (now deceased), and Portuguese Mário da Silva, and several companies in which he holds shareholdings, for alleged deals that have injured the State in amounts in excess of US$5 billion.
The businesswoman has lived outside Angola for several years, as has her sister Tchizé, a former deputy of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and owner of several businesses in Luanda, whose mandate was suspended in 2019, due to prolonged absences and reiterated in plenary meetings, which he justified with the fact that he was a victim of persecution and death threats.
"Zenu", former president of the Sovereign Fund of Angola, awaits the decision on the appeal he filed to get rid of the five-year prison sentence to which he was sentenced, in 2020, for fraud and fraud, embezzlement and trafficking in influences, in the context of the case known as "500 million dollars".
More recently, on the same day that Jose Eduardos dos Santos died, 8 July, generals "Dino" and "Kopelipa" were notified, accused of various crimes, including embezzlement, criminal association and money laundering, in a process that involves several companies, including the oil company Sonangol.
Lusa meanwhile disclosed that on his last visit to Angola, the former president asked the Attorney General's Office to be heard in the context of this process, without receiving a response from the authorities.
