28 November 2008
Maputo — Criminal proceedings are now under way against two Pakistani citizens caught while trying to smuggle over 2.3 million US dollars in bank notes out of Mozambique, reports Friday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".
The two men, Muhammad Ali Nazimo and Syed Mumhammad Nazede, are residents of the central city of Beira. They intended to travel to Dubai via Zimbabwe and South Africa, but were stopped by the customs service on Wednesday at Machipanda, on the border with Zimbabwe.
When the car was searched the money was found hidden under a plate that had been soldered between the rear seat and the boot. According to a customs source, the exact amount of money seized was 2,342,300 US dollars, 122,490 euros, and 25,000 pounds sterling.
The Pakistanis are businessmen and so are presumably well aware of the laws on the movement of foreign currency. Their only defence so far has been that they did not know that the money was in the car. They claimed that a friend offered them the car for the trip to Zimbabwe where they intended to renew their visas to stay in Mozambique.
The idea that anyone would lend, even to the best of friends, a car containing over two million dollars in cash is far fetched. The origins of such money are almost certainly criminal, and the police say they are trying to discover exactly where it came from.
While the police investigations continue, the money has been deposited in a bank.
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