EXTRADITED FROM PORTUGAL: Abdul Gafur Gulam in custody of SERNAP

Abdul Gafur Gulam, one of the main defendants in Operation "Stop Money Laundering," landed this morning at Maputo International Airport, arriving from Portugal, and is now in the custody of the National Penitentiary Service (SERNAP). His arrival marks an important step forward in the fight against organized crime and tax fraud in the country.

Tomorrow, Gulam will be presented to the Criminal Investigating Judge for his first judicial interrogation, within the scope of Case Number 3/GCCCOT/22, also known as Operation “Stop BC”. This operation is a milestone in the fight against money laundering in Mozambique.

The defendant Abdul Gafur Gulam is part of a large group of 40 individuals and 32 commercial companies being investigated for the crimes of money laundering, tax fraud, criminal association, forgery, and use of forged documents. Details of the operation revealed a complex and sophisticated money laundering and document manipulation scheme, which is now being dismantled by the authorities.

After hiding in an unknown location for a long period, Gulam was located in Lisbon, Portugal. There, he was arrested and, in response to a request from the Mozambican authorities, the Lisbon Court of Appeal authorized his extradition. National authorities had issued international arrest warrants and, consequently, a red alert from INTERPOL, with the aim of ensuring that Gulam was arrested and brought to Mozambique to face justice.

Now that the extradited individual has returned to the country, this process is expected to be another decisive step in the fight against financial crime and corruption in Mozambique, reaffirming the authorities' commitment to combating large-scale crimes that harm the national economy and public trust.