Mozambique’s Central Office for the fight against Organised and Transnational Crime (GCCCOT) has accused the man responsible for most distribution of sugar in the country of money laundering, tax fraud, falsification of documents and the use of forged documents, drug trafficking, financing of terrorism, abuse of trust and criminal conspiracy.
According to a report in Friday’s issue of the independent newsheet “Mediafax”, this man, Ismael Hagi Noor Mahomed, owns the company Auto-Pac Ltd, which has a monopoly on packaging and distributing sugar for the Mozambican market.
It is thus a key partner of the National Sugar Distributor (DNA). All the sugar produced by Mozambique’s four functioning sugar mills, represented by the DNA, is delivered to Auto-Pac for packaging and distribution.
Auto-Pac has its headquarters in the southern city of Matola and was set up in 2007.
Noor Mahomed owns a further three companies which are also under investigation for the same range of crimes, including money laundering and drug trafficking. They are Lifepack Ltd, the tourist resort Together in Palma lodge, both located in Palma district, in Cabo Delgado province, which is one of the areas seriously hit by islamist terrorism, and Creative SU, Ltd.
The premises of all of these companies have been searched and material seized from them. A Maputo judge, Eusebio Lucas, has ordered their bank accounts frozen.
Noor Mahomed is on a list of 39 business people who through 48 shell companies, and with the help of corrupt customs officials and bank managers is alleged to have forged documents and simulated imports of merchandise which, in reality, never entered the country. The Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) says that the frauds committed by these companies have damaged the Mozambican state to the tune of 800 million US dollars.
Noor Mahomed seems unlikely to stand trial for his crimes. According to “Mediafax”, he and his family have fled to Dubai.
Filipe Raposo, the executive director of the DNA, admitted that he is deeply concerned by the accusations against Noor Mahomed, given the importance of Auto-Pac for sugar distribution. Since Auto-Pac’s bank accounts are frozen, it is unable to meet its obligations to the DNA.
Raposo hoped the investigations will be rapid, in order to minimize any damage to sugar distribution.
Club of Mozambique
