Maputo — One of the accused in the Carlos Cardoso murder trial, former bank manager Vicente Ramaya, has denied ever discussing plans to murder a senior banker.

On Tuesday, a prosecution witness, Marcial Muthemba, said that Carlitos Rashid, the man who fired the shots that killed Cardoso, had told him in the top security prison in 2001 that Ramaya was prepared to pay for the assassination of the banker, whose name Muthemba did not know.

When his lawyer, Abdul Gani, insisted that he respond to this accusation, Ramaya said he had never discussed such a matter with Rashid. "I didn't know these people (Rashid and the other members of the death squad) outside the prison, and I was distrustful of them inside", he declared.

Ramaya claimed Muthemba had come to him in the prison in July 2001 and told him "I know that, of the six people accused, you're one of the people who had nothing to do with the murder".

He had talked with the other accused, had taped the conversations, and now offered to sell the tape to Ramaya for 50 million meticais (about 2,100 US dollars at the current exchange rate). Ramaya said he was willing to pay, but wanted to hear the tape first.

He claimed that Muthemba was just bluffing. "When the moment of truth came, he had no cassette", said Ramaya.

Muthemba had a very different version. He told the court he had indeed spoken to Ramaya about his conversations with the other accused. In particular he told Ramaya, "Carlitos says he has someone to kill outside, somebody from the bank, and you're paying for it".

"Ramaya asked if I had it on tape, and I said I didn't. I didn't ask for any money", added Muthemba.

Rashid declared that all of Muthemba's testimony "is lies".

He claimed that Muthemba had asked him to negotiate with Momade Abdul Assife Satar ("Nini"), another of those accused of ordering the murder. Muthemba, according to Rashid, wanted to find out who would pay more for his testimony - the police or Satar. Muthemba denied this, and said it was clear that Rashid "is being paid by Nini".