Danish Satar released by Supreme Court – 158 days in jail without formal charges

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Danish Satar released by Supreme Court – 158 days in jail without formal charges

5:34 CAT | 07 Jun 2016

Folha de Maputo

Mozambique’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the release of Danish Abdul Satar, whom the police suspect of involvement in the wave of kidnappings of businessmen in Mozambican cities which began in late 2011.

Satar’s lawyer had submitted a habeas corpus appeal, arguing that his client had not been formally charged and that the legally permitted period of 90 days preventive detention had been greatly exceeded. Satar had been in detention for 158 days.

His release, ordered by judge Luis Mondlane, the current head of the Supreme Court’s criminal secton, comes with several conditions. Satar must report to the Maputo city Court every Monday morning, and must not leave the capital city without court authorization.

He must not communicate with, or approach within 50 metres, of any of the accused, victims or witnesses in six ongoing cases in which his name is mentioned.

Satar was also ordered to surrender his passport. He may not visit hotels, night clubs, casinos or similar establishments. Any violation of these terms will lead to his immediate return to prison.

Satar was arrested in May 2012 in connection with the kidnapping of a citizen named Gignissa Mansukulal. On 17 May 2012 he was granted bail, and almost immediately left the country. He was thus regarded as a fugitive who had skipped bail.

It is believed that he spent most of the ensuing three years in Dubai, but in late 2015 he made the mistake of visiting Rome, where the Italian police arrested him. He was extradited to Mozambique on 31 December.

Interviewed by the independent television station STV shortly after his release on Monday, Satar claimed that he had never been involved in any kidnappings, and claimed that the former head of the Maputo branch of the Criminal Investigation Police (PIC), Dias Balate, was responsible for his arrest in 2012. He alleged that Balate tried to extort 100,000 US dollars from him in exchange for his release, which he refused to pay.

As for skipping bail, he claimed that he had gone abroad on his honeymoon, and that nothing n his bail conditions barred him from travelling (this would be most unusual – it is standard procedure that people on bail must seek court authorization before leaving the country, as is the case with Satar’s current bail conditions).

Satar is the nephew of one of the country’s most notorious murderers, Momade Assife Abdul Satar (known as “Nini”), who was found guilty of ordering the assassination, in November 2000, of the country’s foremost investigative journalist, Carlos Cardoso.

He was released on parole in 2014 after serving just half of his 24 year sentence for the murder, even though he had not paid any of the compensation to Cardoso’s children ordered by the court.

The court authorized Nini Satar to travel to India for medical treatment. Once outside Mozambique Satar decided he would like to be treated elsewhere, and so he decided to fly to London. He should have reported back to the Maputo Court on 15 April 2015, but did not do so.

He claims that he still has authorization from the court to remain abroad. British diplomatic sources contacted by AIM cannot confirm that he is (or ever has been) in London. Some of the photos on his Facebook page seem to have been taken in Lisbon, and he has also used Facebook to boast of regular visits to Monaco. He is clearly not short of money.

Source: AIM