Yethembe, the South African firm that collected millions from a “Scam” brokered by Diamantino dos Santos

By CJI

A scam at the level  of the masters of default, involving a South African company and Mozambican  national actors, where the high light is Diamantino

A fraud at the level of the  masters of default, involving a South African company and mozambican  national actors, where the name of Diamantino dos Santos is the on the edge , a former attorney general who became famous for less than stellar reasons, it appeared  in 2022 and the case took legal  proceedings in one of the sections of the Judicial Court in  Maputo City .

At the epicenter of the plot, there is a humble family that fell in favor of Diamantino dos Santos, who suggested they invest their savings in the charcoal business, which would later be handed over to the firm Dugongo Cimentos. Miguel Joaquim ‘and The aforementioned family – clearly identified with the Center for Investigative Journalism (CJI) – delighted with the proposal and visualizing the financial viability of the business, where everyone would benefit, bought the idea and tried to make the investment, sending the amount of 10 million meticais to ARJ, the latter intermediary company in the transaction with Yethembe, the South African counterpart.

The truth and facts obtained by the CJI indicate that the value was transferred to ARJ and, from there, to Yethembe, a company with a portfolio in the energy sector based in Middleburg, in the province of Mpumalanga in South Africa. The facts say that after receiving the value of the first tranche, Yethembe and its associates never sent the coal to Mozambique and also never returned the value.

The CJI sent an email on October 6, 2023 with questions  to Yethembe, who instead of responding, remained silent and the CJI suspects that they informed Diamantino that they were being investigated.

Santos and his return to the spotlight

The former Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) in the province of Sofala, Antônio Diamantino dos Santos, returns to the spotlight after being forgotten for many years after falling into disgrace in the bad matters of the BCM Case, where he was accused of being an actor for the disorganization of this media case in the 90s. In truth, Diamantino threw up his hat and in an expeditious letter to the Supreme Court, refuted the accusations that weighed on him and granted the “disorganization” of this process, to other actors with interests that were not acknowledged in the case at the time.

Many years later, Diamantino dos Santos returns to the spotlight and is facing a case of alleged and obvious fraud involving 10 million meticais defrauded from a family. The case currently being processed in court has already had three preliminary sessions before the trial which is expected to take place soon. Diamantino dos Santo, who was detained for five days and was released upon payment of bail, with the help of his business partners, namely Moises Rafael Jossias Vilanculos, Narciso Antônio Djedje, also accused, by the way, intermediated the purchase of mineral coal for later sale at the Dugongo cement factory, March 2022, they have not yet delivered the product, much less replaced the value, the offended family was forced to take the matter to court where legal procedures are being followed.

Away from the spotlight regarding justice institutions, Antônio Diamantino dos Santos remains active in business, as he has served as an intermediary in negotiations between national and South African companies in the supply of goods and services.

It was through intermediaries that the man who became famous for having been on the run between 2001 and 2005 when he was arrested by the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) accused of fraud at the former Banco Comercial de Moçambique, a case that incidentally involves the murder of Carlos Cardoso, a journalist who investigated that bank fraud.

In fact, during the trial, several witnesses mentioned that Antônio Diamantino dos Santos did everything to delay the investigation.

It all starts in 2021, when a young couple asked the former Attorney General of the Republic in the province of Sofala to suggest a business after recovering 10 million meticais that were in the hands of third parties.

As a “good Samaritan”, dos Santos suggested to citizen Joaquim the purchase of mineral coal to resell the company Dugongo Cimentos, as it has strong links with companies that provide goods and services in South Africa.

However, the business that seemed like everything could be done took on the appearance of a surgical fraud because even after depositing 10 million meticais, they were converted into rands, the South African currency.

Fatigued by the false promises of Diamantino, Moises Rafael Jossias Vilanculos, Narciso Antônio Djedje, the offended party decided to take the case to the institutions of justice. According to a process dated March 8th of this year in criminal investigation files filed by the offended parties and two other partners, they are called upon to refund the amount in the Civil Compensation Request.

Yethembe the receiver of the money

In documents held by the CJI, Antônio Diamantino dos Santos and his peers chose the Yethembe Group, a company based in South Africa, to import the mineral coal that would later be sold to Dugongo Cimentos.

Once the company that would be responsible for purchasing and transporting the mineral coal to its final destination was identified, the intermediaries instructed the scammed couple to transfer the 10 million meticais to the account of ARJ Engenharia & Projectos, which, in turn, converted the value into rands and sent to the Yethembe Group account.

When everything indicated that the business had legs to move forward, there were constraints and to this day the mineral coal has still not reached its final destination. The CJI found that the former Public Ministry magistrate and his peers justified that the delay in importing mineral coal was due to the fact that the final destination was not the Port of Maputo.

The excuses given to justify the delay in the arrival of the product that would later be supplied to Dugongo Cimentos did not convince investors who demanded the replacement of 10 million meticais.

Faced with pressure from investors, Antônio Diamantino dos Santos was forced to make a debt declaration and listed the house where he lives in Matola Rio, but his wife, Lucia Berta Sumbana, refused to sign the confessional debt declaration.

In turn, Moises Vilanculos claims to be bankrupt, having presented a certificate of poverty for this purpose. According to the CJI, Vilaculos is registered with around six companies between the provinces of Maputo and Inhambane, in the districts of Maxixe and Vilanculos.

 Diamantino  in silence

Eusebio Lucas, the judge who led the preliminary sessions of the TJCM’s criminal investigation, Eusebio Lucas decided not to prosecute Diamantino dos Santos, in the crimes of aggravated fraud, criminal association and forgery of documents. However, in the records obtained by the CJI, the “debt confession” signed by Diamantino dos Santos is attached, where he undertakes to settle the debt with the offended Miguel Joaquim do Rosário and his consort, giving part of his assets as collateral.

The CJI offered dos Santos his right to contradictory proceedings, but he simply declined our calls and also the messages we sent. From December 12, 2023 until January 2024 before publication, the CJIM sent emails, messages, made phone calls, but no answers to the few, many questions!