Angolan businesswoman Isabel dos Santos will contest Interpol's “red alert”, requested by the Angolan State, as it is based on “false information”, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed.

The ICIJ released an investigation into the real estate assets that Isabel dos Santos, her mother, and a former associate of her husband Sindika Dokolo (now deceased) hold in Dubai, which they describe as a “safe haven” for the illicit fortunes of politicians and citizens.

In response to the consortium of journalists about the properties it holds in that state of the United Arab Emirates, the daughter of former president José Eduardo dos Santos states that she intends to contest the Interpol request because it was issued based on “false information” by the Angolan authorities. The “red notice” that Isabel dos Santos was the target of in 2022 is a “request for law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action”, according to Interpol.

Isabel dos Santos stated, in an email, that she had purchased the Sadaf apartment for “personal use” with money he earned from companies and from public appearances and added that President João Loureço and the Angolan authorities “have a politically motivated agenda” against the Dos Santos family. “They manufacture false evidence and do not allow the courts to be impartial and independent,” wrote the businesswoman.

The Angolan justice system has rejected the accusations and guaranteed to use all possible means and activate international mechanisms to bring Isabel dos Santos back to Angola, which she left in 2017 when her father's successor came to power.

ICIJ's new investigation, Dubai Unlocked, reveals how policies have been adopted that have helped turn Dubai into a safe haven for alleged criminals and corrupt politicians, even as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tries to rid itself of its reputation as a preferred destination for money laundering and terrorist financing, after being removed from the “gray list” of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental financial entity.

Isabel dos Santos regularly posts photos and videos on her social networks showing herself in restaurants and parties in Dubai, despite legal proceedings against her in Angola, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The UAE does not have any agreements related to Angola, nor does it have an extradition treaty with the country, according to the ICIJ. At the beginning of this year, the Angolan court accused Isabel dos Santos of 12 crimes and of causing a loss of 219 million dollars during the period in which she led the state oil company, Sonangol.