COUNTRY FRAUD PROFILE: MOZAMBIQUE

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000953 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS KFRD MZ SUBJECT: COUNTRY FRAUD PROFILE: MOZAMBIQUE ¶1. (SBU) Consular Fraud Summary: Mozambiques porous borders, underpa and ill-equipped border security forces and lack of technological infrastructure make it an inviting transit country for mala fide travelers, immigrant smugglers and immigrant traffickers. Mozambican passports and residency permits can be easily obtained through the payment of bribes to immigration officials, and are also available through other illegal channels. It is difficult for Post to obtain detailed information or statistics on immigrant smuggling and trafficking from Mozambican officials, as often written records are n kept or information is inadequately recorded. Post has also encountered a general unwillingness on the part of Mozambican government officials to share immigration fraud-related information that may later implicate immigration or police officials. End Summary ¶2. (U) Country Conditions: Twice the size of California with over 1,5 miles of coastline, Mozambique has geography that plays an important political and economic role. A Portuguese colony until gaining independence in 1975, Mozambique is defined by four corridors: toward South Africa and Swaziland in the south; Zimbabwe and Zambia in the west; Malawi and Tanzania in the north; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Approximately 20% of the population is Muslim, a percentage concentrated primarily in the northern provinces. Despite rapid economic growth since the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique remains one of the worlds poorest countries with more than 40% of it citizens surviving on less than $1 per day. Corruption is one of the paramount problems facing the democratic development of Mozambique, a contributes significantly to the growing problem of immigrant smuggli and trafficking. The majority of people being smuggled or trafficked are bound for South Africa. However, in April 2006, a group of 66 Bangladeshis were caught entering Mozambique illegally by sea and wer reportedly planning to stay in the Nampula province of Mozambique. Mozambique is also battling a growing HIV/AIDS problem, with an HIV infection rate estimated at approximately 16% of adults. ¶3. (SBU) Visa Fraud: Mozambican nationality and identity documents (a well as residency permits) are obtainable on either the black market by bribing immigration officials. These documents have very limited security features compared to passports issued by other countries in the region. Third-country national applicants claiming to be Mozambic citizens and third-country national applicants presenting Mozambican residency permits must be thoroughly scrutinized by interviewing consular officers to assess Portuguese language ability, familiarity with the country and culture, and economic ties. The 66 Bangladeshis who were arrested and deported all had authentic Mozambican visas whi were reportedly stolen in Swaziland. ¶4. (SBU) Approximately 22% of NIV applicants are third-country nationals. The countries representing the largest number of applicant beginning with the most prevalent, are South Africa, India, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Document fraud is difficult to detect since official documents often lack security features, and even legitimate documents are often of poor quality with bio pages containing photos with partially laminated pages and handwritten biodata. ¶5. (SBU)ACS Fraud: Incidents of ACS fraud are rare. However, Post reported via Maputo 00911 and continues to monitor a case of fraud in which an American allegedly posed as a doctor in a tourist town in order to profit from ordering nighttime medical evacuations. A Spani citizen recovering from decompression sickness in Mozambique apparent died as a result of an ill-advised evacuation to South Africa. According to the autopsy report, the high-altitude flight contributed to the death. The doctor has left Mozambique. The case is private being investigated as a homicide and formal charges may be brought in South Africa or Mozambique. DUDLEY Y