The 42-year-old was accused of trying to embezzle up to $1.5bn from the sovereign wealth fund, which he oversaw from 2013 to 2018.

He was later charged with stealing $500m from the fund and transferring it to a bank account in Switzerland.

His father, José Eduardo dos Santos, led the country for 38 years. He was president from 1979 until he resigned in 2017, and was replaced by his former defence minister, Joao Lourenço.

On Friday August 14, judge Joao da Cruz Pitra jailed Jose Filomeno dos Santos, also known as Zenu, for five years.

“For the crime of fraud … and for the crime of peddling influence … the legal cumulus condemns him to a single sentence of five years in prison,” judge Joao da Cruz Pitra said.