US embassy cable - 04MAPUTO675

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000675 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR AF/S AND INL/AAE 
PRETORIA FOR SSNYDER 
DOJ FOR ICITAP EBEINHART AND OPDAT JSILVERWOOD 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KCRM, KCOR, KJUS, ASEC, MZ 
SUBJECT: ANIBALZINHO ESCAPES AGAIN, GRM EMBARRASSED 
 
REF: MAPUTO 636 
 
1. (U) On May 9, Anibal dos Santos Junior once again escaped 
from maximum security prison, creating a highly embarrassing 
situation for the GRM. "Anibalzinho" was serving the 28-year 
sentence he received in absentia in January 2003 for his 
central role in the November 2000 murder of journalist Carlos 
Cardoso. He had previously escaped in August 2002 and was 
apprehended in South Africa the day before his sentence was 
handed down. As with his previous escape, many commentators 
speculate that he was allowed to escape because he could 
reveal information damaging to government officials. 
 
2. (SBU) The public has reacted the escape with disgust, 
disappointment, and derision. Schoolchildren have even taken 
to playing a game in which one child, playing "Anibazinho," 
is allowed to walk out the open door. The influential weekly 
"Savana" has encouraged government ministers to accept 
responsibility and resign. Some commentators have pointed to 
the escape as proof that crime syndicates control the 
government. Those with a weakness for conspiracy theories 
are certain that this time dos Santos was killed to prevent 
any revelations that could bring down powerful people. 
 
3. (U) President Chissano has announced that recapture of the 
escaped prisoner is "essential and imperative," because "it 
would help the authorities to clarify a number of other 
criminal cases that he knows." Three officers from the 
prison have been detained as suspects for facilitating his 
escape. The Attorney General's Office was questioning others 
in the prison who were convicted along with dos Santos for 
the Cardoso murder in additional follow-up investigations on 
related charges. These investigations also allegedly 
involved the BCM bank fraud. One of those being questioned, 
Nini Satar, is a key defendant in the BCM trail and claims 
that he called Anti-Corruption Unit Chief Isabel Rupia on May 
4 to warn her that Anibalzinho was going to escape. 
 
4. (SBU) On May 18, Ambassador and USAID Director attended a 
government event which featured numerous speakers, including 
President Chissano and the Minister of Justice. Speaking on 
behalf of the G-15 donors group, the Swiss Cooperation 
Director delivered a strong criticism of the GRM legal reform 
effort. He described results to date as unsatisfactory and 
expressed shock at the escape, describing it as a serious 
blow to the credibility of the government's reform. He 
referred to the recent joint review exercise and the finding 
that the delays in investigation and resolution of serious 
cases such as these financial crimes, along with the 
unresolved murders such as the Siba-Siba case, leave a strong 
impression of impunity. 
LA LIME