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WORLD NEWS Thursday 23 January 2020

In this March 5, 2015 photo, Isabel dos Santos, reputedly Africa's
richest woman, attends the opening of an art exhibition featur-
ing works from the collection of her husband and art collector
Sindika Dokolo in Porto, Portugal.
Associated Press

'Africa's richest

woman' now a formal

suspect in graft probe Indian Union Muslim League leader P.K.Kunhalikutty, center, one of the petitioners, speaks to me-
dia on the lawns of India's Supreme Court after the top court started hearing dozens of petitions
that seek revocation of a new citizenship law amendment in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Jan.
22, 2020.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Bic this week said it will stop Associated Press
Africa's reputed richest doing business with com-
woman is a formal suspect panies and people linked
in an investigation into to dos Santos, its main Battle for India's new citizenship
mismanagement and the shareholder.
ing her time with Angola's Wednesday, the bank said law moves to top court
a
new
siphoning off of funds dur-
statement
In
state-run oil company, the dos Santos had decided to
country's attorney general sell her stake in the institu- NEW DELHI (AP) — India's thousands appear to be "Because it is a well-draft-
announced Wednesday. tion. top court on Wednesday the fiercest public criticism ed legislation, with a spe-
The remarks by Helder Pit- The allegations in the in- began hearing dozens of Prime Minister Narendra cific purpose, for a specific
ta Gros to reporters in the vestigation were based on petitions seeking the revo- Modi's Hindu nationalist-led group of people, there
capital, Luanda, come more than 715,000 confi- cation of amendments to government has faced. is really no problem on it
days after a global inves- dential financial and busi- the citizenship law follow- Modi's party has down- passing the muster," said
tigation accused the bil- ness records provided by ing nationwide protests played the protests as Aishwarya Bhati, a senior
lionaire Isabel dos Santos the Platform to Protect and a security crackdown orchestrated by political advocate at the Supreme
of murky dealings in the oil- Whistleblowers in Africa, an that led to more than 20 opponents. His powerful Court who supports the
and diamond-rich south- advocacy group based in deaths. Home Minister Amit Shah government's move.
ern African nation whose Paris, as well as hundreds The Supreme Court would said the government will Those who oppose the law
people remain some of the of interviews. The cache of not grant a stay before not retreat on the law. believe the government
poorest on Earth. documents is known as Lu- hearing from the govern- "Those who want to pro- will argue it is not based on
Wednesday's announce- anda Leaks. ment, which has argued test may continue doing an immigrant's religion, but
ment is the latest sign that Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the law is a humanitarian so," Shah said Tuesday at a on religious persecution in
Angola's government un- Isabel's father, ruled An- gesture allowing citizenship public rally in Lucknow. the three countries.
der President Joao Louren- gola for 38 years until 2017. for people fleeing religious Most of the petitions argue "If you discriminate on the
co is determined to pursue Human rights groups have persecution in Muslim-ma- that by excluding Muslims, grounds of religion, that
accountability after the long accused him of steal- jority Pakistan, Bangladesh the law undermines the first itself is prohibited in the
International Consortium ing vast amounts of state and Afghanistan. sentence of the preamble constitution," said Colin
of Investigative Journalists money during his rule. Be- Chief Justice Sharad Ar- to the Indian Constitution, Gonsalves, a senior advo-
accused dos Santos of us- fore stepping down, he ap- vind Bobde, the head of a which defines the country cate at the Supreme Court
ing "unscrupulous deals" to pointed his daughter head three-judge panel, told the as secular, and violates Ar- and founder of the Human
build her fortune, estimat- of the state oil company, courtroom he will make a ticle 14, which guarantees Rights Law Network, which
ed at $2 billion. Sonangol. decision in four weeks af- equality before the law. filed two of the petitions.
Dos Santos, daughter of Last December, a Luanda ter the government has re- "We believe the court will Gonsalves, however, said
Angola's former president, court froze Isabel dos San- plied to all of the petitions. certainly take into consid- it is unlikely judges will strike
has denied any wrongdo- tos' major assets, which He also asked a larger, five- eration the views expressed down or alter the law,
ing. include banks and a tele- judge constitutional panel by all these sections of echoing the fears of many
Already Angolan authori- com company. The gov- to take part in the decision. people, and they will come Indians who oppose the
ties this week have said ernment says it is trying to The law Parliament ap- to a conclusion that it is measure and are question-
they are reaching out to recover $1.1 billion it says proved in December against the Constitution of ing the court's indepen-
other countries for help the country is owed by dos sparked vehement oppo- India," said petitioner K.M. dence.
in tackling the corruption Santos, her husband and a sition. Protesters, political Kader Mohideen. "The Supreme Court is no
that critics say has robbed close associate of the cou- opponents and constitu- Modi's government and longer the beacon light of
millions of citizens of basic ple. Dos Santos has said the tional lawyers have said it proponents of the chang- democracy in India," Gon-
needs like quality health legal action against her is a is discriminatory because it es say Muslim immigrants salves said. "Judges today
care. "witch hunt" launched by excludes Muslims. still could attain citizenship are political, liaised, in a
And businesses are cutting officials who replaced her The nationwide protests through the existing natu- wrong way, that is, towards
ties. Portuguese bank Euro- father.q numbering in the tens of ralization process. government."q