Africa-Press – Mozambique. The National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) on Thursday morning (19-01) conducted a search and seizure operation at Trans Nangy, a company belonging to the Nangy family (Esmael Nangy and sons), in Mumemo neighbourhood, Marracuene district, Maputo province.
The operation was part of ongoing investigations into the alleged involvement of Esmael Nangy in kidnapping, which has seen a resurgence since 2011. Nangy has been detained in South Africa since January 8th under an international arrest warrant issued by the Mozambican authorities in July of last year.
Carta has learned that this Thursday’s operation was carried out without the presence of the company’s owners or their legal representative, Lourenço Malia.
Malia told ‘Carta’ that he learned about the operation through Trans Nangy employees, who were at the scene at the time of the searches. The Nangy family’s lawyer further explained that the search warrant executed this Thursday (aiming at Nangy’s residence and his properties) had been issued on August 10, 2022. The document should have been executed by the 13th of that same month and is therefore out of date. This would render the search illegal.
Malia stresses that the same document, which orders the seizure of firearms, cell phones, computers, documents and any goods or instruments related to the crime of kidnapping, was also used to search Esmael Nangy’s house three months ago, also out of date.
After learning about the search, Lourenço Malia went to the police station in Mumemo to establish the conditions under which the operation was carried out, but was informed that the police unit was not involved in the searches, which were only accompanied by the District Commander of the PRM in Marracuene. Carta also found out that Sernic, at the level of Maputo province, was also not informed of the operation.
In the Mumemo neighbourhood, the Nangy family lawyer was prevented from accessing Trans Nangy’s facilities, which were “locked” and guarded by a Protection Police officer to prevent “third parties” from entering.
At Trans Nangy, Sernic seized five tipper trucks, two car keys, a registration card and two trailers. It also seized cell phones from employees who were on duty. Carta also learned that one of the agents deployed for the operation took away a brand new automatic gate machine, which was not registered in the seizure documents.
Esmael Nangy will [again] appear in Court in Tembisa, in neighbouring South Africa, this Monday, for discussion of his extradition to Mozambique, a decision which depends on evidence of his involvement in the kidnapping industry being presented by the Mozambican authorities.
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