Maputo — If the Banking Supervision Department (DSB) of the Bank of Mozambique receives information on criminal activities by any foreign exchange bureau, then it will act, central bank governor Adriano Maleiane promised on Friday.
He was reacting to a question from AIM, asking why the bank has not yet closed down Unicambios, the foreign exchange bureau owned by Ayob Abdul Satar, one of the men accused of ordering the murder of Mozambique's best-known journalist, Carlos Cardoso.
Unicambios has featured prominently in the trial of Satar, his brother Momade Assife Abdul Satar, and four others, which has been under way before the Maputo City Court since mid-November.
The evidence emerging at the trial has shown that Unicambios is a centre for illegal transactions, including loan-sharking and money-laundering. Yet it continues to operate.
Speaking to reporters at a brief press conference, Maleiane said that the DSB is watching the trial closely, and would "take precautions, not only for Unicambios, but for all other foreign exchange bureaux. We will act in due time with the support of the organs of justice".
AIM is also aware that Unicambios is involved in the trafficking of money from South Africa to the Middle East (Dubai, in particular) via Mozambique. One of the couriers in this money- laundering venture was recently caught by the South African police en route to Mozambique with hundreds of thousands of rands stuffed down his underpants.
This man, Mohamed Vaid, had made 150 trips from Durban to Mozambique in 18 months. From sources in South Africa, AIM understands that Vaid sometimes phoned up Unicambios before making these journeys.
Maleiane said he was not aware of this side to Unicambios's business and would look into it.
He urged anyone with information on money-laundering to denounce cases to the authorities. "If we know about this, we can cancel the licences of the institutions concerned", he said.
Maleiane admitted that financial scandals had shaken public confidence in Mozambican institutions, and the Bank of Mozambique "faces the major challenge of re-establishing public confidence in the system".
This required more highly trained and autonomous auditing units, and greater transparency through more regular publication of audited accounts.
