Lifting of bank secrecy requested in 20 cases – AIM report

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Lifting of bank secrecy requested in 20 cases – AIM report

7:39 CAT | 11 Apr 2017

The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) last week, apparently with the authorisation of a judge, asked for details on the bank accounts of former Mozambican President Armando Guebuza, 18 other individuals and one company, in connection with the audit of the three security-related concerns Ematum (Mozambique Tuna company), Proindicus and MAM (Mozambique Asset Management).

According to the latest issue of the independent weekly “Savana”, the PGR asked the banks to lift banking secrecy on these accounts, under the provisions of Mozambican banking legislation which allow for the normal confidentiality of banking transaction to be violated, when requested by the central bank, when the terms of the criminal law allow the violation, or when there is a court order signed by a judge.

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“Savana” says that the PGR request is signed by prosecutor Armando Pedro, and stamped on the reverse by a judge. The banks contacted by the PGR confirmed to the paper’s reporters the authenticity of this document. The PGR is interested in the deposits and withdrawals for the period running from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2016.

In addition to the former President, the list of those covered by the request include two of his sons, Ndambi and Mussunbuluco, and several of his close collaborators during his ten years in office – namely his former adviser and spokesperson Edson Macuacua (now the chairperson of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Commission of the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic), his political advisor Renato Matusse, his press attaché Marlene Magaia (now curator of the presidential museum), his economic advisor Carlos Simango, his legal advisor Neusa Matos, and his advisor for general matters, Carlos Pessane.

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Also on the list are the former head of protocol in the President’s office, Francisco Cigarro, who is now Mozambican ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Jose Maneia, Mozambican consul in Dubai, and Riduan Adamo, another staff member at the UAE embassy. The UAE is where the company Abu Dhabi Mar is based – this is the company that owns the French shipyard where vessels were built for Ematum and Proindicus.

The list extends to Angela Leao, wife of Gregorio Leao, who was general director of the State Information and Security Service (SISE) under Guebuza, but who was recently relieved of his duties by Guebuza’s successor Filipe Nyusi.

Taking Ematum, Proindicus and MAM together, their main shareholder is GIPS, a company controlled by the social services of SISE. A SISE official, Antonio do Rosario, is the chairperson of the boards of all three companies.

Two of those whose accounts the PGR wishes to investigate are dead – they are Lizete Chang, the late wife of Manuel Chang, the Finance Minister who signed the government guarantees for the loans to the three companies, and Izidora Faztudo, a former deputy minister of fisheries, who was also once the chairperson of the country’s main brewing company, Cervejas de Mocambique (CdM – Beers of Mozambique).

Lesser known figures on the list are Guilhermina Langa, Maria Gamito, Salvador Mula and Teofilo Nhangumele.

The company whose accounts will be scrutinized is Jociro Internacional, an investment company in which Antonio do Rosario and Angela Leao are shareholders.

“Savana”’s sources told the paper that the PGR had previously requested access to the accounts of Rosario and of Manuel Chang.

Lifting the banking secrecy on these accounts is part of the audit for which the PGR has hired the London branch of the US company Kroll, reputedly the foremost forensic auditing company in the world. The audit is expected to trace what happened to the more than two billion US dollars which Ematum, Proindicus and MAM borrowed from European banks (mainly Credit Suisse and VTB of Russia) in 2013 and 2014.

The loans were only possible because the Guebuza government issued illicit guarantees. As assistant attorney-general Taibo Mucobora noted last year that the guarantees violated the 2013 and 2014 budget laws, smashing through the ceiling on government guarantees which those laws established.

They also breached the Mozambican constitution which states that such government debt can only by authorized by the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.

Justice Minister Isaque Chande was taken aback by the fact that the PGR’s list had entered the public domain. “We’re surprised”, he told reporters. “How is it possible that such sensitive, such serious material, which is still at the stage of preliminary investigation, is made public?”

The source of the leak is not known – but it must have been somebody in the PGR or somebody in one of the banks contacted by the PGR.

Source: AIM