The US government has announced travel sanctions against Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of former Angolan president José Eduard dos Santos.
The US accused Isabel, one of Africa’s wealthiest women alive, of engaging in acts of corruption.
Isabel dos Santos’ father Eduardo was in power until 2017.
During her father’s reign, Isabel was one of the most powerful government officials. She also served as the chairperson of the lucrative state oil company.
According to a 2013 Forbes report, Isabel was then the richest African woman with an estimated net worth of $3.5bn (£2.6bn).
But Forbes dropped her from the list in 2020, after it was reported that about $1.6bn in assets belonging to the former first daughter had been frozen in Angola and Portugal.
Her wealth was estimated at over $2bn in January 2020.
According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Isabel owns luxury apartments in London and Lisbon.
The consortium also alleged that Isabel owned a $35m yacht, which she had reportedly bought through a shell company.
The US State Department said Isabel had engaged in ‘significant corruption.” Secretary of state Antony Blinken accused the former first daughter of “misappropriating public funds for her personal benefit.”
The visa restrictions slapped against Isabel dos Santos, who is aged 48, mean she and her immediate family members are not allowed to cross into the US.
But the US Treasury Department was yet to slap financial sanctions against Isabel.
The US has in recent days slapped sanctions against officials across the world over their alleged involvement in acts of corruption and human rights violations.
One of those facing sanctions is Uganda’s CMI chief Maj Gen Abel Kandiho.
