US embassy cable - 05MAPUTO1334

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 001334 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR AF/S HTREGER 
USAID FOR DMENDELSON 
MCC FOR SGAULL 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCOR, PGOV, PREL, MZ 
SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: NEW CHIEF FOR RESTRUCTURED 
ANTI-CORRUPTION UNIT 
 
REF: A. MAPUTO 692 
 
B. MAPUTO 559 
1. (SBU) Summary: On September 9 the controversial head of 
Mozambique's Anti-Corruption Unit, Assistant Attorney General 
Isabel Rupia, was removed and replaced by her colleague, 
Assistant Attorney General Rafael Sebastiao. The GRM 
explained the move as part of a restructuring process of the 
Unit announced several weeks earlier. Rupia built a 
reputation for agressively investigating corruption 
allegations, but also, in some instances, for leaking 
information to journalists on stalled cases, which undermined 
her effectiveness. Assistant Attorney General Sebastiao has 
told us he will hire more staff and improve case management. 
President Guebuza has made fighting corruption a central 
theme of his administration. To date, however, none of the 
investigations of allegations against senior officials has 
resulted in a conviction. End summary. 
 
2. (U) On September 9 Assistant Attorney General Isabel Rupia 
was removed as head of the Attorney General's Anti-Corruption 
Unit (UAC), replaced by colleague and fellow assistant 
attorney general, Rafael Sebastiao. Rupia remains with the 
Attorney General's office as head of the Department of 
Legality, a position she held while she was head of the UAC. 
Rupia's removal came just weeks after Attorney General 
Joaquim Madeira formally announced the creation of the 
Central Office for the Combat of Corruption (GCCC), which 
under legislation enacted last year replaces the UAC as 
Mozambique's primary corruption fighting office. Unlike the 
UAC, the newly established GCCC functions as an autonomous 
unit under the Attorney General's Office, with its own line 
item in the GRM's budget and authority to hire additional 
permanent full-time prosecutors and investigators. 
 
3. (SBU) Rupia's removal has been sharply criticized by human 
rights groups that claim it undermines the government's 
anti-corruption message. There are also suspicions that 
Rupia was removed due to political pressure. Under Rupia the 
UAC took on a series of high profile investigations, 
including allegations of corruption leveled at former 
education minister Alcido Nguenha and against the current 
head of the publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, Vicente 
Veloso. Rupia's tenacity made her a target, and in December 
2003 she narrowly escaped assassination. 
 
4. (SBU) Other observers fault Rupia for poor judgment, and 
believe that this coupled with the unit's inability to 
produce results under her leadership led to her removal. Of 
the 128 criminal cases the unit received between 2002 and 
mid-2005, only 30 have gone to court and none yet have 
resulted in a conviction. In a September 12 meeting with 
Emboffs, the Attorney General cited press interference as one 
of the factors that attributed to the UAC's lack of 
demonstrated results. (Comment: This may have been a 
back-handed slight at Rupia, who was well-known for leaking 
sensitive information to the press when she was frustrated 
with the lack of progress of some cases. End comment.) 
 
5. (SBU) In a series of meetings since his appointment, 
Sebastiao has stated to Emboffs that he will focus 
immediately on management issues that have hampered progress 
to date. He plans to institute a case tracking system - 
something missing under Rupia - as well as reassign pending 
cases and augment his staff from the current three part-time 
prosecutors to the eight full-time mandated under the law. 
Sebastiao has also stated he will go after cases at any 
level, a mandate reinforced by statements from Madeira 
himself. 
 
6. (SBU) Sebastiao is considered a close associate of 
Madeira's. He was the prosecutor assigned to the Siba-Siba 
murder case, as well as to the Cardoso murder trial in which 
former President Chissano's son has been implicated. Neither 
of the cases has progressed, and it is widely speculated that 
the lack of movement is intentional to protect high-level 
officials. (Comment: That these cases have been stalled 
under Sebastiao raises questions whether he will fare any 
better than Rupia in moving forward with her caseload. End 
Comment.) 
 
7. (SBU) Comment: The current speculation surrounding Rupia's 
dismissal comes at a time when the government of President 
Armando Guebuza has taken a strong public stance against 
corruption. Fighting corruption was central to his 
presidential campaign and he has pledged action in many 
public addresses since taking office. With increased 
pressure from civil society and the public at large, the 
stakes have been raised for the GCCC under Sebastiao to 
produce tangible results. 
La Lime