Angola’s former president José Eduardo dos Santos has rejected claims that he left the state coffers empty, saying he handed over $15 billion when power changed in September 2017.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Fesa foundation headquarters in Luanda, dos Santos said he wanted to clarify his 38-year rule. He read a prepared statement and did not take questions from reporters.
“I did not leave the state coffers empty. In September 2017 at the presidency's change, I left $15 billion in the National Reserve Bank (BNA),” he said.
The remarks came after President João Lourenço said in an interview with the Portuguese Expresso newspaper that he found the country’s accounts empty when he took office. Lourenço also criticised the lack of a proper handover, saying he had expected full disclosure during the transition.
The interview was published as Lourenço, 64, prepared for a visit to Portugal from Thursday to Saturday. He took over in August 2017 and has since promised to fight corruption and rebuild the economy of Africa’s second-largest oil producer, which was still dealing with the effects of the 2014 collapse in oil prices.
Dos Santos, who ruled for 38 years, rarely appeared in public and was known for turning down interview requests from international media. Lourenço, meanwhile, said he had no reason to hide his own assets and denied making wealth through improper means.
“I am not a millionaire or a billionaire,” he said.
He added: “If I was nominated by President José Eduardo dos Santos and the ruling MPLA, it is because they recognised in me qualities,” President Lourenço added.
The political backdrop to the exchange includes Angola’s long post-independence history. Portugal withdrew in 1975 without handing over power, and Angola then descended into civil war that lasted until 2002.
Relations between Luanda and Lisbon have also been shaped by business and legal disputes. In September, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa visited Angola in an effort to improve ties. Angola remains Portugal’s key trading partner and its third-largest recipient of investment.
One major source of tension eased in May, when a Lisbon court ruled that Angola’s former vice-president Manuel Vicente could be tried in Luanda rather than Portugal on corruption charges. The two countries also signed agreements covering Angola’s debts to Portuguese businesses, which were estimated at more than $470 million.
Analyst Alex Vines of Britain’s Chatham House think-tank described Costa’s delayed visit as a “very important step” toward normalising relations, AFP reported.
Mr dos Santos’ denial now places fresh pressure on the public record of the 2017 transition, especially as Lourenço continues to frame his presidency around transparency, asset disclosure and anti-corruption reforms.
