Mozambique Hidden Debts: CIP reveal names of two Mozambicans indicted by United States

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique Hidden Debts: CIP reveal names of two Mozambicans indicted by United States

12:37 CAT | 09 Jan 2019

in file CoM

Mozambicans António Carlos do Rosário and Teófilo Nhangumele have been indicted in the New York State Attorney’s Office ‘hidden debts’ case.

VOA reported on Sunday that the New York State Attorney’s Office accused three Mozambicans of involvement in a fraudulent scheme behind the so-called hidden debts.

The document to which VOA first had access to revealed the name of the former finance minister and current Frelimo deputy Manuel Chang and four other foreigners, while the names of two other Mozambicans were redacted.

Now, without revealing how and where it obtained the information, the Mozambican Public Integrity Centre (CIP) has announced that the other two Mozambicans accused by the US justice system are António Carlos do Rosário and Teófilo Nhangumele.

Following the arrest in South Africa of former finance minister Manuel Chang, the New York Attorney General’s document detailing the allegations had two names erased as not being detained.

Besides Chang and the two other Mozambicans whose identities are now revealed by the CIP, four other people of different nationalities were arrested, three in London and one in New York.

According to the indictment, the two Mozambicans received altogether US$45 million in five separate payments, but it is currently not possible to detail the specific amount that each one.

Carlos de Rosário was director of the State Security Services (SISE), which controlled the companies Ematum and Proindicus and received millions of dollars, but declared bankruptcy. Do Rosário refused to provide information to the audit company Kroll, alleging reasons related to state security.

Teófilo Nhangumele is regarded as a specialist in public and government relations and has worked for the oil company BP and seen his name linked to a company that has been involved in the lending business.

Three other Mozambicans are also mentioned in the New York State Attorney General’s indictment as being bribed with millions of dollars but, for unknown reasons, they have not been indicted.

“Co-conspirator 1” is identified as “an individual … who was involved in obtaining the approval of the government of the Proindicus project”; the “co-conspirator 2” is “a relative of a senior official of Mozambique”; and “co-conspirator 3” was “a senior official of the Ministry of Finance of Mozambique and a director of Ematum”.

The CIP said that in the latter case “we suspect that it is Henrique Gamito or Isaltina Lucas Sales”. “Both of them have played important roles both in Ematum and in the Ministry of Planning and Finance.”

Former finance minister Chang will today again appear in court in South Africa, where a judge will decide on his extradition to the United States.