Judge Robert Bright states that it is “highly desirable that Isabel dos Santos should be obliged to declare her assets, in circumstances where Unitel does not know which ones”.
Judge Robert Bright, of a British commercial court, ruled on Wednesday December 20 to freeze around 580 million pounds (670 million euros) controlled by Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, in a case brought against Unitel International Holdings.
“I see no obvious basis on which Isabel dos Santos’ assets should be protected in this jurisdiction; there seems to be an obvious argument in favor of a worldwide freezing of her assets,” argued Judge Robert Bright in the decision published this Wednesday by the British High Commercial Court.
At issue is the lawsuit brought by Unitel, now controlled by the Angolan state, against Unitel International Holdings BV, based in the Netherlands, and businesswoman Isabel dos Santos, which asked for the freezing of 580 million pounds, the equivalent of 670 million euros at Wednesday’s exchange rate.
In the ruling, the judge states that it is “highly desirable that Isabel dos Santos be obliged to declare her assets, in circumstances where Unitel does not know which, if any, assets are held by her and are not covered by the seizure or freezing orders that are already in force”.
Therefore, she concludes, she does not accept “the principle that the other asset freezing orders mean that it is neither fair nor convenient for this court to decide on yet another order”, as defended by the businesswoman, who says she is the victim of an “oppressive campaign”. The London court’s decision follows a series of lawsuits filed by the Angolan state and public and private companies against the businesswoman since João Lourenço took office as President of Angola in 2017, which also included other members of the family of José Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled Angola for almost 40 years.