VZCZCXRO8317
RR RUEHJO
DE RUEHTO #0953 2141345
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021345Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5779
INFO RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 0689

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