During his stay in Europe, Dos Santos made occasional trips to Dubai to see his daughter Isabel who has been in the recent past sued in various countries including Angola and Portugal.
Dos Santos succeeded António Agostinho Neto in 1979, who ruled Angola for four years after independence from Portugal in 1975.
In 2017, President João Lourenço took over from dos Santos as Angola and ruling MPLA leader following a general election marking the end of a 38-year reign.
