4 ms·

Isabel dos Santos: president's daughter who became Africa's richest woman

60 points by NoB4Mouth 7y ago

tossser9991991 7y ago
Warning: I haven't even read the article yet Just want to point out that both her and her father are very well known around here for big corruption. Mainly moving the state's money (oil and diamonds) into their own private ventures. When the new Angola President took over, the state reserves were empty. Again on a country that should be getting loads from oil and diamonds
- rjsw 7y ago
  I did read the article but know nothing about Angola. My take was that she seems to have a similar background to a typical Russian oligarch. Being smart enough to take advantage of a particular situation doesn't mean that you should do that.
  - close04 7y ago
    > But her wealth is the subject of mounting scrutiny The problem is articles like this glamorize the people and the activities. "Savvy investor", "lucky". I know the verdict isn't in and if she did her job just right it will never be. The whole point of being so rich and benefiting from nepotism is that nobody can or wants to touch you. But from a reasonable perspective I guess it's pretty obvious that with such relationships you don't get rich in a country where most barely go from one day to the next by making honest business. This while state coffers that should be full somehow stay empty. On the flip side you have just "mounting scrutiny". This article does too good of a job at staying "impartial" by completely avoiding any claim that the accusations are real. But gives a strong hint that she is actually the savvy businesswoman she presents herself as. You never get sued for defamation for saying that eh?
    - DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
      > you don't get rich in a country where most barely go from one day to the next by making honest business probably why she has hundreds of businesses in her name located in the UK, France and literally any other place that isn't Africa: https://aleph.occrp.org/search?q=Isabel%20dos%20Santos https://aleph.occrp.org/search?q=Isabel%20dos%20Santos
      - tossser9991991 7y ago
        Financed by Angola's natural resources. Yeah, she seems smart, but being smart alone usually is not enough. Having big piles of cash "stolen" from the one of the richest in natural resources country in the world sure does help.
    - htfu 7y ago
      Eh are we reading the same article series? > Luanda Leaks An investigation into how Africa's richest woman, Isabel dos Santos, acquired her fortune How Angola's state oil firm was left with just $309 in its account Published: 19 Jan 2020 Revealed: how Angolan ruler's daughter used her status to build $2bn empire Published: 19 Jan 2020 The diamond deal that rocked Angola Published: 19 Jan 2020
      - close04 7y ago
        I was reading this article and the quotes are from this one. Plenty of articles glamorize the lives and career of such people before the verdict is in. Probably because nobody will sue them for a praise. You took the old HN rule of “don’t tell people have you even read the article” and took it a step further by asking me if I read a completely different article in the series.
        rjsw 7y ago
        The articles are linked together though, and are on the same website.
  - johnnycab 7y ago
    >My take was that she seems to have a similar background to a typical Russian oligarch. This is a fairly accurate assessment, based on the pillaging of resources, borne out of a privileged position. The usual pilfering of other assets such as telecoms, banks, apart from oil and diamonds, there is a litany of dodgy loans, stakes in foreign companies, expensive art collection, super yacht, a sprawling property portfolio and more, as is de-rigueur for anyone looting a country, is also mentioned in the article. The Luanda Leaks are the subject of BBC Panorama tonight at 2030 GMT.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
throwaway8451 7y ago
Yachts, villas, partying: many super-rich seem to be so unimaginative what to do with their money. I'd have a lab and employ engineers and workers to create all the crazy stuff I always dreamt of. Edit: I talked about the yacht in particular before editing the comment, hence the comment below.
- abacadaba 7y ago
  what about the yacht builders though?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- aaron695 7y ago
  > I'd have a lab and employ engineers and workers to create all the crazy stuff I always dreamt of. That's exactly what they are doing with their businesses. Isabel dos Santo has worked hard to get where she is. She doesn't have the time to run a lab she's creating all the crazy stuff she dreams of. Unless you are talking about the kids who are not working in the business, which is why they are not working, to not work.
  - DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
    > Isabel dos Santo has worked hard to get where she is other headlines about her indicate that she is just another corrupt despot: Isabel dos Santos: Africa's richest woman 'ripped off Angola': https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51128950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51128950
    - aaron695 7y ago
      She's the richest women in Africa. $2 billion. That's not just an 'another corrupt despot' Her wealth surpasses most male despotes in Africa. Are you claiming she is a trophy wife or something? The articles imply she amassed the wealth not it was given to her in her lap by a despot husband or despot father. And if she hasn't worked for the money (which I really doubt, her hours will be higher than almost all people here) then she doesn't want to work, back to she won't be setting up a lab, aka she doesn't want to do work.
urbanjunkie 7y ago
The kind of cunt that needs to be strung up. Her corpse, twisting in the wind, will serve as a strong reminder to all the corrupt cunts in the world that their time is coming.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
bookofjoe 7y ago
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-santos-angola.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-s...
shrubble 7y ago
You know what you end up with if you steal $50 million from your country? $50 million.
blackswan101 7y ago
Wouldn't be surprised if they moved minerals like uranium etc. to willing international buyers.

60 points by NoB4Mouth 7y ago

tossser9991991 7y ago

Warning: I haven't even read the article yet Just want to point out that both her and her father are very well known around here for big corruption. Mainly moving the state's money (oil and diamonds) into their own private ventures. When the new Angola President took over, the state reserves were empty. Again on a country that should be getting loads from oil and diamonds

rjsw 7y ago
I did read the article but know nothing about Angola. My take was that she seems to have a similar background to a typical Russian oligarch. Being smart enough to take advantage of a particular situation doesn't mean that you should do that.
- close04 7y ago
  > But her wealth is the subject of mounting scrutiny The problem is articles like this glamorize the people and the activities. "Savvy investor", "lucky". I know the verdict isn't in and if she did her job just right it will never be. The whole point of being so rich and benefiting from nepotism is that nobody can or wants to touch you. But from a reasonable perspective I guess it's pretty obvious that with such relationships you don't get rich in a country where most barely go from one day to the next by making honest business. This while state coffers that should be full somehow stay empty. On the flip side you have just "mounting scrutiny". This article does too good of a job at staying "impartial" by completely avoiding any claim that the accusations are real. But gives a strong hint that she is actually the savvy businesswoman she presents herself as. You never get sued for defamation for saying that eh?
  - DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
    > you don't get rich in a country where most barely go from one day to the next by making honest business probably why she has hundreds of businesses in her name located in the UK, France and literally any other place that isn't Africa: https://aleph.occrp.org/search?q=Isabel%20dos%20Santos https://aleph.occrp.org/search?q=Isabel%20dos%20Santos
    - tossser9991991 7y ago
      Financed by Angola's natural resources. Yeah, she seems smart, but being smart alone usually is not enough. Having big piles of cash "stolen" from the one of the richest in natural resources country in the world sure does help.
  - htfu 7y ago
    Eh are we reading the same article series? > Luanda Leaks An investigation into how Africa's richest woman, Isabel dos Santos, acquired her fortune How Angola's state oil firm was left with just $309 in its account Published: 19 Jan 2020 Revealed: how Angolan ruler's daughter used her status to build $2bn empire Published: 19 Jan 2020 The diamond deal that rocked Angola Published: 19 Jan 2020
    - close04 7y ago
      I was reading this article and the quotes are from this one. Plenty of articles glamorize the lives and career of such people before the verdict is in. Probably because nobody will sue them for a praise. You took the old HN rule of “don’t tell people have you even read the article” and took it a step further by asking me if I read a completely different article in the series.
      - rjsw 7y ago
        The articles are linked together though, and are on the same website.
- johnnycab 7y ago
  >My take was that she seems to have a similar background to a typical Russian oligarch. This is a fairly accurate assessment, based on the pillaging of resources, borne out of a privileged position. The usual pilfering of other assets such as telecoms, banks, apart from oil and diamonds, there is a litany of dodgy loans, stakes in foreign companies, expensive art collection, super yacht, a sprawling property portfolio and more, as is de-rigueur for anyone looting a country, is also mentioned in the article. The Luanda Leaks are the subject of BBC Panorama tonight at 2030 GMT.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

throwaway8451 7y ago

Yachts, villas, partying: many super-rich seem to be so unimaginative what to do with their money. I'd have a lab and employ engineers and workers to create all the crazy stuff I always dreamt of. Edit: I talked about the yacht in particular before editing the comment, hence the comment below.

abacadaba 7y ago
what about the yacht builders though?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
aaron695 7y ago
> I'd have a lab and employ engineers and workers to create all the crazy stuff I always dreamt of. That's exactly what they are doing with their businesses. Isabel dos Santo has worked hard to get where she is. She doesn't have the time to run a lab she's creating all the crazy stuff she dreams of. Unless you are talking about the kids who are not working in the business, which is why they are not working, to not work.
- DyslexicAtheist 7y ago
  > Isabel dos Santo has worked hard to get where she is other headlines about her indicate that she is just another corrupt despot: Isabel dos Santos: Africa's richest woman 'ripped off Angola': https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51128950 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51128950
  - aaron695 7y ago
    She's the richest women in Africa. $2 billion. That's not just an 'another corrupt despot' Her wealth surpasses most male despotes in Africa. Are you claiming she is a trophy wife or something? The articles imply she amassed the wealth not it was given to her in her lap by a despot husband or despot father. And if she hasn't worked for the money (which I really doubt, her hours will be higher than almost all people here) then she doesn't want to work, back to she won't be setting up a lab, aka she doesn't want to do work.

urbanjunkie 7y ago

The kind of cunt that needs to be strung up. Her corpse, twisting in the wind, will serve as a strong reminder to all the corrupt cunts in the world that their time is coming.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

bookofjoe 7y ago

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-santos-angola.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-s...

shrubble 7y ago

You know what you end up with if you steal $50 million from your country? $50 million.

blackswan101 7y ago

Wouldn't be surprised if they moved minerals like uranium etc. to willing international buyers.