What You Need to Know
An Italian businessman detained in Maputo on suspicion of trafficking and money laundering has been on hunger strike since his arrest. The Mozambican prison service expressed concern over his refusal to eat, despite efforts to persuade him to abandon the strike. The case highlights issues of organized crime in Mozambique, which ranks high in crime rates across Africa.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Italian businessman detained in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, on suspicion of trafficking and money laundering has been on hunger strike since his detention on Tuesday, the Mozambican prison service announced today, expressing concern over the case.
“The citizen (…) since his admission [21 April] has voluntarily refused to take food, maintaining that position up to the present moment, a fact that has raised concern on the part of the management of the prison unit,” reads a statement from Mozambique’s National Penitentiary Service (SERNAP) sent to the media.
SERNAP said it had informed the family and notified the detained businessman’s legal representative in order to “persuade him to abandon the strike”, but “despite the efforts”, the suspect has maintained his position.
“The inmate remains firm in his decision and has not, to date, presented the reasons that motivate the said hunger strike,” the Mozambican prison service stated.
In the document, SERNAP added that it is monitoring the situation with due responsibility, ensuring respect for the inmate’s fundamental rights, as well as “strict compliance with the legal and humanitarian standards in force” in Mozambique.
Humberto Sartone, owner of the Kaya Kwanga guesthouse, located in one of the upscale areas of the Mozambican capital, and his alleged associates were detained on Tuesday following search and seizure operations at properties linked to the suspects, as part of an ongoing investigation.
Among the alleged associates are Saleem Karim, Tarmomed Valai Mahomed, a Mozambican businessman of Pakistani origin, and his son Anass Tarmomed, the spokesperson for the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), Hilário Lole, told Lusa.
According to Lole, among the suspicions raised by the Mozambican authorities is that the accused are part of an organised crime network involved in money laundering and document forgery.
Mozambique is among African countries with high levels of crime and low resilience to organised crime, alongside Angola, according to the “Africa Organised Crime Index 2025”, presented in November in Kenya.
In the report, which quantified organised crime levels and resilience in African countries on a scale of one to 10, Mozambique, with a score of 6.63, ranked eighth among African countries with the highest crime rates, in a list topped by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with 7.47. Mozambique recorded an increase of 0.43 points since 2023, the year in which the previous organised crime report was produced.
Mozambique has been grappling with significant challenges related to organized crime, including money laundering and human trafficking. The country has been identified as having high levels of crime and low resilience to such activities, as highlighted in the Africa Organised Crime Index 2025. This index ranks Mozambique among the top African nations for crime rates, reflecting ongoing struggles with governance and law enforcement effectiveness in combating organized crime networks. Recent arrests, including that of the Italian businessman, underscore the persistent issues facing the nation in addressing these criminal activities.
