The body of former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, killed in Spain last month, arrived in Luanda on Saturday (20), ending a weeks-long dispute over the repatriation of his remains.
A small committee made up of about 20 people, including supporters and family members, was waiting at Luanda airport to receive the coffin.
Among those present were several of Dos Santos’ children, as well as his widow, Ana Paula dos Santos, who was visibly shaken.
Some people cheered as the coffin was carried away, draped in an Angolan flag, followed by a convoy of black vehicles.
“We Angolans are proud to receive the remains of President Dos Santos and that he can have a dignified funeral,” said an assistant, Telma Pilartes.
Dos Santos, who ruled this oil-rich African country with an iron fist from 1979 to 2017, died in Barcelona on July 8 at the age of 79 after suffering a heart attack.
Since then, the question of when and where he would be buried has confronted the Angolan government and his widow and some of his children.
A Barcelona court ruled this week that the body should be handed over to Ana Paula dos Santos and could be repatriated to Angola.
After the decision, Welwitschea’s lawyer “Tchizé” dos Santos, one of the former president’s daughters, said she would appeal the decision.
But Josep Riba Ciurana, the widow’s lawyer, told AFP that a judge had granted immediate execution of the sentence, allowing the body to be transported from Spain.
– “World Shame” –
“We are the first ones surprised” by the news, said Tchizé’s lawyer, Carmen Varela, adding that she learned of the repatriation on television.
Varela explained that his client wanted to hold the funeral in Barcelona because returning to Angola is not an option for some family members.
Several of Dos Santos’ children have been investigated for corruption in recent years.
Tchizé opposes having his father buried in his country “with a national funeral that could favor the current government” of President João Lourenço in the August 24 elections.
The repatriation takes place days before the election and represents a small victory for the current president.
Lourenço was attending a large rally in Luanda when the imminent repatriation of Dos Santos’ body was announced.
Tchizé accused the president of using his father’s body as a campaign tool, calling him in an Instagram post a “global shame”.
During Dos Santos’ nearly four-decade tenure, several members of his family cashed in on the country’s oil riches, while most Angolans remained mired in poverty.
When he resigned in 2017, Dos Santos handed over power to Lourenço, a former defense minister.
But Lourenço quickly turned on his former sponsor, unleashing an anti-corruption campaign centered on the former president’s family to recoup billions allegedly embezzled by Dos Santos.
“You took me to the altar and (…) I will not be able to take you to your last place (resting)”, wrote on Instagram Isabel, Dos Santos’ eldest daughter and one of those investigated by his multinational businesses.
“They ripped you out of my arms,” he added.
#Body #expresident #Dos #Santos #killed #Spain #arrives #Angola #ISTOÉ #DINHEIRO