A daughter of former Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Barcelona on Friday, has demanded the hospital retain his body for an autopsy due to fears of foul play.
Tchize dos Santos “has requested ... that the Teknon medical centre hold onto the body ... until an appropriate autopsy is carried out on fears it could be transferred to Angola,” her lawyers wrote in a statement.
The 79-year-old was taken to hospital and placed in intensive care going into cardiac arrest on Wednesday last week, his family said.
Photo: Reuters
However, on Monday, his 44-year-old daughter — whose full name is Welwitschia dos Santos — filed a legal case against his current wife and personal physician for attempted murder, police and her lawyers said.
In Friday’s statement, her lawyers said the complaint included allegations relating to “attempted murder, failure to exercise a duty of care, injury resulting from gross negligence and disclosure of secrets by people close to him.”
The complaint said she believes her father’s wife, Ana Paula, and his personal physician are responsible for the deterioration in his health.
She said her father and his wife had been separated for some time, meaning she had no right to make decisions about his health.
Police confirmed receiving the complaint and said they had opened an inquiry. Tchize dos Santos has also asked the Spanish authorities to ensure her father’s protection and asked that only his children be allowed to visit him.
Angolan Minister of External Relations Tete Antonio declined to comment on her accusations as he left the Barcelona hospital where the former president was being treated.
“We did not come here to deal with these things, we are here at a time that the people understand is a difficult moment, we don’t want to get into questions of this nature,” he told reporters.
Jose Eduardo dos Santos ruled Angola, an oil-rich former Portuguese colony, for 38 years until stepping down in September 2017. Born in the slums of Luanda, he was one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, using his nation’s oil wealth to turn one of his children into a billionaire while leaving his people among the poorest on the planet.
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