Angolan President João Lourenço has pardoned José Filomeno dos Santos, son of former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who was serving a five-year sentence for fraud involving $500 million.
The pardon, effective January 1st, is part of a broader presidential decree freeing approximately 50 prisoners. The decree cites the convicts' good behavior and lack of social danger, linking the pardons to Angola's upcoming 50th independence anniversary and a stated goal of fostering national harmony.
While the government frames the move as promoting reconciliation, the Dos Santos family maintains their persecution is politically motivated.