Angola’s Isabel dos Santos Denies Press Report of Arrest Warrant

(Bloomberg) -- Angolan businesswoman Isabel Dos Santos said she’s complied with past legal proceedings and isn’t aware of an international arrest warrant being issued against her, according to a Nov. 18 statement on her behalf.

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Portuguese news agency Lusa reported Friday that Interpol had issued the warrant, citing an official document. Dos Santos said her lawyers had found no evidence of such action on Interpol’s database, the statement said.

Lusa reported that an arrest warrant was issued after Angolan prosecutors asked Interpol to “find and arrest” dos Santos before seeking her extradition. Angolan authorities have accused dos Santos, once considered Africa’s richest woman, of embezzling state funds during her father Jose Eduardo dos Santos’s near-four-decade rule, which ended in 2017.

Read more: Angola’s Isabel Dos Santos Says Will Cooperate With Authorities

The 49-year-old was also accused of several other crimes that include fraud and money laundering and carry a maximum prison sentence of 12 years, according to Lusa.

Dos Santos denies any wrongdoing.

Interpol didn’t immediately respond to a phone call and email seeking comment outside of normal business hours. A spokesperson for the Angolan government wasn’t immediately available to comment.

--With assistance from Ania Nussbaum.

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