José Filomeno Dos Santos, the son of Angola’s former president who was imprisoned for fraud, has been pardoned by the country’s current leader, João Lourenço.

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In 2020, Dos Santos received a five-year prison sentence for fraud after $500 million was transferred from Angola’s national bank to an account in Britain. Several others were also sentenced in connection with the case, including the former governor of Angola’s national bank.

The case was part of an anti-corruption campaign led by Lourenço. Meanwhile, the Dos Santos family claims they are victims of a political witch hunt.

Dos Santos is among approximately 50 prisoners who have been granted pardons by the president; they are set to be released on January 1st.

A presidential decree shared on social media cited “good behavior” of the convicts and an “absence of social danger” as reasons for their release. It also noted that the pardon is linked to the upcoming 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence from Portugal next year and aims to promote a “climate of harmony, leniency (…) and fraternity.”

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