
Isabel dos Santos: president's daughter who became Africa's richest woman - NoB4Mouth
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/19/isabel-dos-santos-president-daughter-africa-richest-woman-angola
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tossser9991991
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

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rjsw
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.

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close04
> 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?

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DyslexicAtheist
_> 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
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.

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throwaway8451
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.

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aaron695
> 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
_> 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
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.

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bookofjoe
[https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-
dos-s...](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/19/world/africa/isabel-dos-santos-
angola.html)

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

$50 million.

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blackswan101
Wouldn't be surprised if they moved minerals like uranium etc. to willing
international buyers.

