The Italian head of the Kaya Kwanga tourist and residential complex on the Marginal (coast road) in Maputo, Umberto Sartori, died Friday (15 May) in the top security prison (known as BO). He had been arrested on 21 April accused of drug trafficking, money laundering and forgery, and had refused to eat. The criminal investigation police SERNIC said he had links with the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, which seems to have a presence in Mozambique.
Savana (1 May) did a detailed investigation of Sartori who has been in Maputo for 40 years. Savanareported that Sartori, had "close ties to political elites linked to Frelimo, is said to have transformed the Complex into a strategic hub of Mozambican decision-making. Senior figures from the state and the party, including members of the Defence and Security Forces, representatives of the judiciary, ministers, members of the boards of directors of major public companies, civil servants, journalists and successful businesspeople have come to regard the Kaya Kwanga Residential Complex as a hub for business and the signing of major contracts. In practice, Umberto Sartori is said to have acted as a bridge or link between up-and-coming businessmen and the public decision-making authorities. The Kaya Kwanga Residential Complex also served as a 'hideaway' for high-ranking state officials during their leisure time. It was also in this space that many senior officers of the Mozambican Defence and Security Forces stayed and socialised.
Kaya Kwanga was also used to host Frelimo party meetings, often free of charge."
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Satori's arrest was linked to the arrest in the United States of Mozambican businessman Nurolamin Gulamo, part of what had been a major Nampula and Nacala trading family. Linked to various illegal activities, he and family members fled to Portugal owing $50mn to Mozambican banks. Savana reports that he and a former Mozambican bank executive Joao Jorge were arrested in New York in an FBI sting. They were tricked into flying to New York for a prospective real estate investment and were arrested there in April 2024 for money laundering, drug trafficking, and other offenses.
Nurolamin Gulamo has made a deal with US authorities and is providing them evidence against 29 Mozambican businesspeople, leading to the arrest of Umberto Sartori and several other people in Mozambique, Savana reports.
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