Anibal dos Santos
Encyclopedia
Anibal António "Anibalzinho" dos Santos Junior (Anibal dos Santos, born 1971 or 1972) is a Portuguese
criminal convicted of masterminding the November 22, 2000, murder of Carlos Cardoso
, a journalist investigating bank fraud in Mozambique
's Central Bank (BCM). After a first trial in absentia
in 2003, one failed and two successful escapes and two extradition
s (from South Africa
and Canada
), dos Santos was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in January 2006. Dos Santos maintained his innocence throughout the trial. As of April, 2008, dos Santos remained in Mozambiqan custody and was investigated in another murder case, that of BCM lawyer Albano Silva.
December 7, 2008, dos Santos escaped from a maximum security Maputo jail for a third time. On the next day, the news media reported that dos Santos was arrested 36 hours after escape, but on December 10 a police spokesperson denied these reports, saying that dos Santos was still at large. After eight months at large, in August 2009 dos Santos was recaptured in South Africa.
, 49, editor of the Metical daily newspaper specializing in investigating corruption, was investigating an alleged $14 million fraud at the Central Bank of Mozambique (BCM). On November 22, 2000, nearly 15 minutes after speaking to BBC
reporters, he left his Maputo
office in a car and was ambushed on the Avenue of the Martyrs by gunmen who blocked his escape routes with two cars. Later, trial judges adopted the version of events that dos Santos was driving the stolen ambush car that overtook Cardoso's Toyota and forced it to the curb; the shots were fired by another suspect. Witnesses said the shooters fired 10 shots, killing Cardoso and injuring his driver. The murder occurred two weeks after 26 people were killed in riots; Cardoso reported on the incident and was highly critical of both leading political parties' actions preceding the clashes. The murder and funeral of Cardoso "produced a rare show of unity among political opponents"; president Joaquim Chissano
and opposition leaders vowed to solve the murder.
In May 2001 six men were charged with the murder. Initial reports stated that "a prominent businessman" and a bank manager were charged with contracting the murders and four men were charged with carrying out the murder. Later, Western media reported dos Santos was one of the four, the mastermind of the murder. Media reports of dos Santos' "normal" activities range from a petty car dealer to a car thief.
on a false Swazi
passport. Seven low-level prison guards were tried and acquitted in connection with the escape.
The whereabouts of dos Santos remained unknown until November 22, 2002.
, son of the president, as the man behind the murder. Nyimpine Chissano appeared in court and refuted all allegations. Soon after the trial commenced, the mother of dos Santos announced that her son was safely living in London
. She said dos Santos "was helped to flee to London in order to prevent him from testifying",; she also claimed that he was innocent and ready to return to Mozambique and testify if given security guarantees.
Dos Santos was arrested in Pretoria
, South Africa
, at the end of January 2003, one day before the scheduled pronouncement of court sentence in Maputo. South African authorities immediately announced that extradition
would proceed "as early as [that] weekend". The next day the court declared dos Santos guilty as the mastermind of the crime, and sentenced him to 28 years and six months. Other suspects received up to 23 years. No charges where ever brought against Chissano family members.
In the end of 2003 three of the convicts, but not dos Santos, were reported to be involved in court proceedings against the fraud at the Central Bank — the last case of Carlos Cardoso.
In the middle of May Canadian authorities detained dos Santos at the Toronto Pearson International Airport
. Mozambican authorities immediately requested extradition although Canada and Mozambique did not have an extradition treaty; international press organizations called on the Canadian government to "expedite [the] return of dos Santos" too. Dos Santos applied for political asylum in Canada, stalling the extradition process for half a year. Authorities persuaded dos Santos to drop the request for asylum in exchange for a fair retrial in Mozambique, an option open to anyone sentenced in absentia
to more than two years in jail. The Mozambique court confirmed the convict's right to retrial. On December 14, 2004, Canadian authorities approved extradition, and dos Santos finally departed for Mozambique on January 21, 2005, arriving in Maputo the next day. Reporters without borders
and other press organizations celebrated the capture.
Dos Santos immediately pleaded innocent and not guilty and said that his previous statements on the Cardoso case had been the result of manipulation by his former defence lawyer. Dos Santos exonerated Nyimpine Chissano from any association with the murder and identified the Satar family members, already convicted at the 2002-2003 trial, as his principal clients. The trial pronounced dos Santos guilty on all nine counts and increased the sentence to 30 years.
Media reports commented that the trial did not solve many incident questions on the extent of dos Santos' connections in Mozambique politics and that dos Santos' decision not to appeal the sentence was an indicator of another jailbreak being planned. His court-appointed lawyer explained that his client feared that the appellate court could increase the jail term further.
(by then deceased) as the ultimate client. According to the new statements by dos Santos, Chissano initially contacted him on to hire a car; commentators expressed disbelief that such a petty business could grow into a murder contract. The alleged "recruiter" identified by dos Santos has also died, leaving nobody to denounce or corroborate his story. He also made a statement that the late Chissano protected him in Maputo prison: "I never escaped, I was taken out".
Dos Santos refuted all allegations of the Albano Silva case, despite objective evidence showing his regular communications with the other suspects in the case prior to the murder.
, he was apprehended 75 kilometers from Maputo, on the road to the border with Swaziland
. However, on December 10 a police spokesperson denounced these reports, saying that dos Santos was still at large. The opposition requested that the national parliament summon executive ministers for an explanation, but the proposal was turned down by majority vote. Police officials, again, expressed regret over the incident, while the right-wing Zambese newspaper hailed dos Santos as a hero defying incompetent police.
In a period of less than a week ending December 17, three high-ranking Maputo police officers were killed. Police chief Pinto said that the murders may be connected to the escapees, however, it was not clear which of the three escapees is considered most dangerous. Ministry of Interior General Zinocacossa has openly blamed police for the escape: "Anibalzinho was released by police commanders ... They, there in the police, they're mixed up with Anibalzinho, and now they want to involve me".
On December 30, 2008, the Mozambican Interior ministry dismissed top-ranking police commanders for their part in the December 7 escape. It was reported that the officials visited Anibalzinho on the day before the escape and did nothing about the hole in the corridor wall that was used by the fugitives. .
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
criminal convicted of masterminding the November 22, 2000, murder of Carlos Cardoso
Carlos Cardoso
Carlos Cardoso was a Mozambican journalist. His murder in 2000 followed his newspaper's investigation into corruption in the privatisation of Mozambique's biggest bank.-Early life:...
, a journalist investigating bank fraud in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
's Central Bank (BCM). After a first trial in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
in 2003, one failed and two successful escapes and two extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
s (from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), dos Santos was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in January 2006. Dos Santos maintained his innocence throughout the trial. As of April, 2008, dos Santos remained in Mozambiqan custody and was investigated in another murder case, that of BCM lawyer Albano Silva.
December 7, 2008, dos Santos escaped from a maximum security Maputo jail for a third time. On the next day, the news media reported that dos Santos was arrested 36 hours after escape, but on December 10 a police spokesperson denied these reports, saying that dos Santos was still at large. After eight months at large, in August 2009 dos Santos was recaptured in South Africa.
Background
In November 2000, white Mozambican Carlos CardosoCarlos Cardoso
Carlos Cardoso was a Mozambican journalist. His murder in 2000 followed his newspaper's investigation into corruption in the privatisation of Mozambique's biggest bank.-Early life:...
, 49, editor of the Metical daily newspaper specializing in investigating corruption, was investigating an alleged $14 million fraud at the Central Bank of Mozambique (BCM). On November 22, 2000, nearly 15 minutes after speaking to BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reporters, he left his Maputo
Maputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
office in a car and was ambushed on the Avenue of the Martyrs by gunmen who blocked his escape routes with two cars. Later, trial judges adopted the version of events that dos Santos was driving the stolen ambush car that overtook Cardoso's Toyota and forced it to the curb; the shots were fired by another suspect. Witnesses said the shooters fired 10 shots, killing Cardoso and injuring his driver. The murder occurred two weeks after 26 people were killed in riots; Cardoso reported on the incident and was highly critical of both leading political parties' actions preceding the clashes. The murder and funeral of Cardoso "produced a rare show of unity among political opponents"; president Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Chissano
Joaquim Alberto Chissano served as the second President of Mozambique for nineteen years from 6 November 1986 until 2 February 2005. Since stepping down as president, Chissano has become an elder statesman and is called upon by international bodies, such as the United Nations, to be an envoy or...
and opposition leaders vowed to solve the murder.
In May 2001 six men were charged with the murder. Initial reports stated that "a prominent businessman" and a bank manager were charged with contracting the murders and four men were charged with carrying out the murder. Later, Western media reported dos Santos was one of the four, the mastermind of the murder. Media reports of dos Santos' "normal" activities range from a petty car dealer to a car thief.
First escape
August 31, 2002, dos Santos escaped from a jail in Maputo, despite specific warnings of an upcoming escape attempt reported to the Minister of the Interior. Unidentified police officers on the case said that "everything was done at the highest level to facilitate the escape and make a trial impossible". Dos Santos' lawyer expressed fears that dos Santos might already be dead and "there were reports of bloodstains in his client's cell". Actually, dos Santos escaped to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on a false Swazi
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
passport. Seven low-level prison guards were tried and acquitted in connection with the escape.
The whereabouts of dos Santos remained unknown until November 22, 2002.
First trial and extradition
The trial against the five present suspects and the missing dos Santos began November 18, 2002. Court sessions were broadcast on national TV. Three of the suspects identified Nyimpine ChissanoNyimpine Chissano
Nyimpine Chissano was the eldest son of former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano. A Maputo-based businessman, he had been linked to two high-profile murders in Mozambique, both of which are widely reported to have occurred because of their victims' anti-corruption activities.-Carlos...
, son of the president, as the man behind the murder. Nyimpine Chissano appeared in court and refuted all allegations. Soon after the trial commenced, the mother of dos Santos announced that her son was safely living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. She said dos Santos "was helped to flee to London in order to prevent him from testifying",; she also claimed that he was innocent and ready to return to Mozambique and testify if given security guarantees.
Dos Santos was arrested in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, at the end of January 2003, one day before the scheduled pronouncement of court sentence in Maputo. South African authorities immediately announced that extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
would proceed "as early as [that] weekend". The next day the court declared dos Santos guilty as the mastermind of the crime, and sentenced him to 28 years and six months. Other suspects received up to 23 years. No charges where ever brought against Chissano family members.
In the end of 2003 three of the convicts, but not dos Santos, were reported to be involved in court proceedings against the fraud at the Central Bank — the last case of Carlos Cardoso.
Second escape and extradition
According to the Ministry of Interior statement, "On 9 May 2004 Anibal dos Santos Junior disappeared from his cell." Anonymous sources at the prison said that dos Santos was "actually taken out of the jail by accomplices". The escape occurred when the court was preparing to pronounce verdicts against 15 suspects involved in the 1996 bank fraud case.In the middle of May Canadian authorities detained dos Santos at the Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
. Mozambican authorities immediately requested extradition although Canada and Mozambique did not have an extradition treaty; international press organizations called on the Canadian government to "expedite [the] return of dos Santos" too. Dos Santos applied for political asylum in Canada, stalling the extradition process for half a year. Authorities persuaded dos Santos to drop the request for asylum in exchange for a fair retrial in Mozambique, an option open to anyone sentenced in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
to more than two years in jail. The Mozambique court confirmed the convict's right to retrial. On December 14, 2004, Canadian authorities approved extradition, and dos Santos finally departed for Mozambique on January 21, 2005, arriving in Maputo the next day. Reporters without borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
and other press organizations celebrated the capture.
Second trial
The second trial against dos Santos commenced December 1, 2005. Three days before the trial, dos Santos was caught preparing to make a third escape. The attempt was thwarted by a new guard, recently transferred to the jail.Dos Santos immediately pleaded innocent and not guilty and said that his previous statements on the Cardoso case had been the result of manipulation by his former defence lawyer. Dos Santos exonerated Nyimpine Chissano from any association with the murder and identified the Satar family members, already convicted at the 2002-2003 trial, as his principal clients. The trial pronounced dos Santos guilty on all nine counts and increased the sentence to 30 years.
Media reports commented that the trial did not solve many incident questions on the extent of dos Santos' connections in Mozambique politics and that dos Santos' decision not to appeal the sentence was an indicator of another jailbreak being planned. His court-appointed lawyer explained that his client feared that the appellate court could increase the jail term further.
2008 trial
In April 2008 dos Santos was in court again, this time as a defendant for the murder of BCM lawyer Albano Silva. His statement to the court addressed the 2000 Cardoso murder; this time, contrary to his past statements, dos Santos directly pointed at Nyimpine ChissanoNyimpine Chissano
Nyimpine Chissano was the eldest son of former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano. A Maputo-based businessman, he had been linked to two high-profile murders in Mozambique, both of which are widely reported to have occurred because of their victims' anti-corruption activities.-Carlos...
(by then deceased) as the ultimate client. According to the new statements by dos Santos, Chissano initially contacted him on to hire a car; commentators expressed disbelief that such a petty business could grow into a murder contract. The alleged "recruiter" identified by dos Santos has also died, leaving nobody to denounce or corroborate his story. He also made a statement that the late Chissano protected him in Maputo prison: "I never escaped, I was taken out".
Dos Santos refuted all allegations of the Albano Silva case, despite objective evidence showing his regular communications with the other suspects in the case prior to the murder.
Third escape
On December 7, 2008, dos Santos escaped from a maximum security Maputo prison for a third time, together with two other notable gangsters. The next day, the media reported that dos Santos was arrested 36 hours after escape. According to Reporters without bordersReporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, he was apprehended 75 kilometers from Maputo, on the road to the border with Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
. However, on December 10 a police spokesperson denounced these reports, saying that dos Santos was still at large. The opposition requested that the national parliament summon executive ministers for an explanation, but the proposal was turned down by majority vote. Police officials, again, expressed regret over the incident, while the right-wing Zambese newspaper hailed dos Santos as a hero defying incompetent police.
In a period of less than a week ending December 17, three high-ranking Maputo police officers were killed. Police chief Pinto said that the murders may be connected to the escapees, however, it was not clear which of the three escapees is considered most dangerous. Ministry of Interior General Zinocacossa has openly blamed police for the escape: "Anibalzinho was released by police commanders ... They, there in the police, they're mixed up with Anibalzinho, and now they want to involve me".
On December 30, 2008, the Mozambican Interior ministry dismissed top-ranking police commanders for their part in the December 7 escape. It was reported that the officials visited Anibalzinho on the day before the escape and did nothing about the hole in the corridor wall that was used by the fugitives. .