| José Filomeno dos Santos | |
| Birth Date: | 9 January 1978[1] |
| Birth Place: | Luanda, Angola |
| Nationality: | Angolan |
| Other Names: | Zenú |
| Boards: | Fundo Soberano de Angola |
| Spouse: | Maíra Fernandes |
| Parents: | José Eduardo dos Santos and Filomena Sousa |
| Relatives: | Isabel dos Santos (sister) Coréon Dú (brother) |
Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos (born 9 January 1978) is an Angolan businessman, and the son of Angola's former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country as a dictator from 1979 to 2017.[2] He has been arrested and convicted twice for money laundering and fraud.
Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos was born 9 January 1978 as single child of Filomena Sousa and Angola's former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country as a dictator from 1979 to 2017.
In 2012, José Filomeno dos Santos was appointed to the board of the Fundo Soberano de Angola (FSDEA), Angola's sovereign wealth fund[3] and in June 2013 he succeeded Armando Manuel as Chairman .[4] After President João Lourenço was elected, he dismissed dos Santos from his position before the end of his term.[5] [6] is removal by Lourenço revealed a political tug-of-war in a country under political transition.[7]
Following his dismissal, Dos Santos was arrested in 2018 in connection with the authorisation of a transfer of $500 million to a British bank, which froze the funds, among other charges of "criminal organization, illegal enrichment, money laundering and corruption".[8] The transfer was reportedly part of negotiations for a $30 billion concessional lending facility for Angola, the money being returned to the country’s central bank.[9] [10]
Dos Santos was released in March 2019.[11] On 9 December 2019, Dos Santos appeared before the Supreme Court in Luanda, along with three co-defendants, who were also accused of money laundering and embezzlement: former governor of the National Bank of Angola Valter Filipe da Silva, Jorge Gaudens Pontes Sebastião, businessman and childhood friend of the son of the former president, and António Samália Bule, director of the BNA.[12]
On 14 August 2020, the Supreme Court of Angola sentenced dos Santos to five years in prison for fraud, money laundering, trading in influence, falsification and criminal association.[13] [12] On April 4, 2024, the Constitutional Court overturned the Supreme Court decision decision, which it deemed "unconstitutional", as certain elements provided by its defense were not taken into account by the judges.[14]
In August 2013, dos Santos was ranked at number 26 out of the top 100 wealth fund chiefs in the world. The rankings are an annual measurement process run by The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute and display a desire to diversify the economy of a nation highly dependent on its petroleum exports.[15] [16] His half sister is Isabel dos Santos former head of the Angola state-owned oil company Sonangol Group, which the International Monetary Fund in 2011 asked to account for a missing US$32 billion.[17] [18]
Dos Santos' father, former president José Eduardo dos Santos, lived his last years in exile in Barcelona.[19] [20]