Good afternoon. Today's issue of newspaper Canal de Moçambique is shouting about a “big interview” with António Carlos do Rosário, the former head of economic intelligence at the intelligence service SISE, who played a major role in the so-called “hidden debts” or “tuna bond” corruption scandal and who was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Mozambican court for his crimes. Do Rosário and his fellow criminals have been released by a court pending their appeal against their convictions.
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In the extremely long and rather one-sided interview, do Rosário denies being guilty of anything and tries to pin the blame on former president Filipe Nyusi instead. Nyusi, as Mozambicans will recall, was defence minister when the contracts for a maritime security system financed by the hidden debts was signed, and as president he allowed the trial over the hidden debts to go ahead, but he himself escaped giving evidence, let alone being investigated for his role. Now that do Rosário and the other convicts are at liberty, it seems they want to hit back at Nyusi.
The interview is not the only sign of this. Social networks in Mozambique have recently seen messages shared defending people involved in the hidden debts-financed security and fishing projects, like do Rosário, Bruno Langa and Teófilo Nhangumele. The messages have sought to argue that, contrary to the court’s findings, they are not corrupt or criminals; they were just doing legitimate business. Any bribes they took were commissions and perfectly acceptable. There have also been stories spread that former finance minister Manuel Chang, who was convicted in the United States of crimes relating to the debts, was about to be released from prison. This has in fact not happened; all that has happened is that his lawyers have asked for him to be released on compassionate grounds.
