Mozambique: One dead as boat sinks on the Umbeluzi
Photo: DW
Mozambique’s Central Anti-Corruption Office announced this week that corruption among public officials cost the country about 250 million meticais (equivalent to 3.7 million Euros) in the first six months of this year.
In Inhambane province, about 12 civil servants have been charged with abuse of office and function, among them José Fernando Matsinhe, permanent secretary in the Inhassoro district. The charges against him relate to the time he was posted in the Mabote district.
In an interview with DW Africa, José Matsinhe says that “we are in the trial process which will conclude what the fact are. It is alleged that there was a change of contract, but this is provided for by law”. Matsinhe also points out that there is an identical case in Inhassoro, involving one Eduardo Mufume.
Corruption “has been routine” in Inhambane
Mamud Benny, a provincial assembly member charged with monitoring the provincial government’s actions, explains that it has been routine in public procurement to increase budgets improperly for the benefit of some civil servants. “There is overbilling, bribes between central agents of the state with agents of local power,” he says. “[This] holds back development in Inhambane, because those in charge are not able to watch over the province. This way, it will be chaos.”
The advanced state of corruption in the province has meant the judiciary has encountered serious difficulties obtaining evidence to be presented in court.
As the lawyer Hilferio da Conceição explains: “If overbilling in a given work makes the value higher than it really should be, then we are in a situation of corruption because it is an amount of money retrieved without any justification in the process. Individuals tend to divert more and more money, reinforcing bad practice. Measures must be taken.”
According to the Central Office for Combating Corruption, seven municipal presidents, five district administrators, 15 institutional directors, six chairmen and an equal number of permanent secretaries are currently charged with corruption In Mozambique.
Civil servants in debt
Meanwhile, Inhambane province’s government told reporters last week that several government officials owe the state about 29 million meticais (about EUR 432,000) after being found to have allegedly created ghost companies to receive funding for district development projects that never materialised.
Assissa Carimo, spokesperson for the provincial government of Inhambane, says that “in the first half of this year, 3.62 million meticais have already been collected, leaving 29.53 million meticais still to be recovered”.
Sinai Lonzo, provincial spokesman for the Office for Combating Corruption in Inhambane, promises that the institution will “continue to combat and break this stranglehold”. “It is a thorny issue for all Mozambicans, but we have to do it because we want a prosperous, corruption-free Mozambique. Everyone has to live from their efforts and work alone.”
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.