While the return of the body of former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos to his family had been blocked at first, a Spanish court decided that the widow of the former Angolan president could finally recover his remains, in order to repatriate and bury her in the country. But this decision is already contested, at the heart of an open family conflict.
Uncertainty still hangs over the fate of the body of José Eduardo dos Santos, who died on July 8 in Barcelona. The fate of the remains of the former head of state is at the center of a legal tussle between his widow, Ana Paula Cristovao dos Santos, and one of his daughters, Welwitschea “Tchizé” dos Santos, 44. .
“Tchizé” dos Santos had, at first, succeeded in block the restitution of the body to the widow of the former president. A Spanish magistrate had decided so that more analyzes be carried out, as had been requested by “Tchizé” dos Santos.
The latter had filed a complaint in Spain for “attempted homicide”, a few days after the death of Jos Eduardo dos Santos: she accused her father’s personal doctor and his last wife, Ana Paula Cristovao dos Santos, of being responsible for the deterioration of his state of health. Judging the death suspicious “, “Tchizé” dos Santos then obtained from justice that an autopsy be performed.
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“Tchizé” dos Santos will appeal
But in a decree, dated Tuesday August 16 (and made public on Wednesday), the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) claims to have received the same day the results of the autopsy carried out on the remains of José Eduardo dos Santos, and indicates that it confirmed that it was a ” natural death “, due to a ” chronic cardio-respiratory failure “. Consequently, the body of the former Angolan president could be handed over to his widow to be repatriated and buried in Angola.
However, “Tchizé” dos Santos does not intend to stop there. As soon as the TSJC’s decision was announced, her lawyer, Me Carmen Varela, indicated in a press release that her client would appeal this court decision, the court which ruled not being, according to her, not competent to decide.
Through the voice of his lawyers, “Tchizé” dos Santos also scolded Ana Paula Cristovao dos Santos: “ Since their separation in 2017 and until last April, Ana Paula had not visited to her husband in Barcelona. The daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos is opposed to the return of her father’s remains to Angola and affirms that he wanted ” to be buried privately in Spain “, where he lived since 2019.
The legal battle between the clans of the Dos Santos family is apparently not over, while between the lines, legislative elections are to be held in Angola on August 24.
(With AFP)