Isabel dos Santos, the self-exiled daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was dragged into a London lawsuit brought by telecoms firm Unitel SA.
(Bloomberg) — Isabel dos Santos, the self-exiled daughter of former Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was dragged into a London lawsuit brought by telecoms firm Unitel SA.
Dos Santos’s Dutch holding company Unitel International Holdings BV is being sued by Angolan Unitel for defaulting on loans worth around €325 million ($350 million) and $44 million to fund UIH’s interests in telecommunications companies. The two firms have no direct corporate connections despite similar names, according to court filings.
Unitel asked a London judge to join Dos Santos to the lawsuit “so it can bring claims against her for breach of her directors’ duties and unjust enrichment,” according to court documents prepared for a hearing on Tuesday.
Dos Santos, who was once Africa’s richest woman, has faced allegations of corruption after being accused of causing more than $5 billion in losses to the African nation during her father’s 38-year rule. Her assets in Angola and in Portugal have been frozen.
Interpol has issued an international arrest warrant for dos Santos. She has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Lawyers for Dos Santos, who is currently staying in Dubai, argued she can’t be included in the London suit because she has never been a resident at the west London address she owns. They also said the claims against her have no overlap with the existing proceedings.
“Dos Santos is not a necessary and proper party,” to the suit Richard Hill, her lawyer, said at the hearing.
Lawyers for Dos Santos, Unitel and UIH didn’t immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Read More: Angola’s Isabel Dos Santos Considers Presidential Run From Exile
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