Mozambique' Bank Chief Murdered by Privatization Opposing Forces: Report

Antonio Siba Siba Macuacua, the provisional chairman of the board of the Austral Bank, might have been murdered by people who were opposed to the bank passing into "non-manipulable" hands, and who desperately thought that the killing could reverse the re-privatization process.

According to an editorial in the latest issue of the weekly independent "Savana", Macuacua was targeted because he was the top figure in the Austral Bank, and it was thought that his death might sow panic and fear both to Mozambicans and the South African group that won the re-privatization bid, the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA).

Antonio Siba Siba Macuacua's body was found lying in a pool and smashed on the ground floor of the building housing the bank's headquarters.

The caustic editorial draws a parallel between the style of execution used in Macuacua's murder and that of journalist Carlos Cardoso last November: "More than the barbarous act itself, what's at stake is the brutal intention of imposing a regime of fear".

President Joaquim Chissano's comments in Blantyre after hearing of Macuacua's death that "my first reactions were that nothing could be touched before we had in place experts, and we were sure that they had no interest" did show that the extent o "capacity of crime syndicates in Mozambique", the paper says.

Furthermore, Chissano had publicly recognized and admitted that he lacked trust in the "impartiality and integrity of the Mozambican police", it says.

Meanwhile, the paper reports that there is evidence of the involvement of a director and a guard at the Austral in the death of Macuacua.

But police could neither confirm not deny. Police spokesperson Nataniel Macamo said that "we don't entertain speculations. We don 't live by that, and everything that will be turned out by the investigations will be disclosed to the public".

Austral Bank sources told "Savana" that Macuacua had disclosed that he had received anonymous threats and "was aware that he ran serious risks if he didn't slow down his offensive of bringing debtors to pay what they owed to the bank".

Police have indicated that Antonio Siba Siba Macuacua was on Saturday apparently pushed down the steps from the 15th floor of the bank's headquarters building in Maputo.

The killing took place two days before he was to submit a report on the troubled bank's financial situation to ABSA, winner of the competition to re-privatize the institution.

Mozambique's central bank had been forced to intervene in Austral Bank last April, appointing Macuacua provisional chairman of the board, after the withdrawal of its majority Malaysian shareholders.

The bank's re-privatization process is nevertheless expected to go ahead, with 80 percent of the share capital due to be sold in September - the entire stake now held by Mozambican state. The remaining 20 percent are in the hands of Austral Bank managers and employees.






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