HOUSECLEANING IN ATTORNEY GENERAL'S

UNCLAS MAPUTO 001110 SIPDIS SIPDIS AF/S FOR MSHIELDS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCOR KCRM PGOV PREL MZ SUBJECT: HOUSECLEANING IN ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE ¶1. (U) In the past two weeks President Guebuza fired Attorney General Joaquim Madeira and all deputy attorneys general in what some observers are calling an unprecedented display of housecleaning. Included in the firings are the former and current heads of the Central Office for the Combat of Corruption (GCCC). Guebuza replaced Madeira with Judge Augusto Paulino, former president of the Maputo City Court. While initially giving no reason for the firings, Guebuza later stated publicly his hope that the new Attorney General's mission translated into the strengthening of the justice sector, and "particularly the fight against corruption." ¶2. (U) Madeira, who had been the Attorney General since 2000, had become increasingly outspoken in the last several months despite having little to show for his rhetoric. When several police agents were accused of extrajudicial killings in April, Madeira criticized the police leadership for defending the agents and launched a thorough investigation that culminated in their arrest. Separately, when the Supreme Court refused to prosecute cases of corruption investigated by GCCC, alleging it did not have a legal mandate to lay charges, Madeira publicly called their actions "shameful." ¶3. Paulino comes with some street credit as the judge who presided over the trial of the six men accused of killing the influential independent journalist Carlos Cardoso. He not only sentenced the men to lengthy prison terms (a rare accomplishment in Mozambique),he championed transparency by allowing the trial to be broadcast live on Mozambican radio and television. ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: While Guebuza is not overtly sending an anticorruption message by replacing the entire Attorney General's office, he likely chose a person with a cleaner and stronger image in Paulino Q someone who can more effectively represent Guebuza's stated goal of eradicating corruption. If Paulino assembles a good team of deputy attorneys general, and particularly in naming the new head of the GCCC, the overall result could be a more focused effort to combat corruption. CHAPMAN