Mozambique: Jihadists attack village in Mocímboa da Praia - AIM report
TVM
Mozambique’s anti-corruption offices registered 1,059 cases of alleged corruption in 2017, the spokesperson for the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption (GCCC), Cristovao Mondlane, told a Maputo press conference on Thursday.
695 of these cases led to charges, and 122 were shelved for lack of evidence. The remainder are still under investigation. But only 155 citizens were detained for corruption offences, 96 of whom were caught red-handed.
Mondlane said that during the investigation the prosecutors were able to freeze bank accounts holding 17.9 million meticais (about 300,000 US dollars) believed to be the proceeds of corrupt acts, and seized a building valued at 23.7 million meticais, plus five vehicles that have not yet been valued.
This is much less than hoped for, Mondlane added. Prosecutors have not been able to seize more, because Mozambique does not have a law on the recovery of assets.
Judges can order the seizure of assets as part of the sentence imposed after a trial – but by then it may be too late and assets obtained through crime could have been salted away.
The provinces with the largest number of recorded cases of corruption were Nampula (187), Maputo City (113) and Sofala (112). Mondlane warned that this did not mean that the other provinces were cleaner – but merely reflected that these are provinces where the GCCC has its provincial delegations.
Most of those charged with crimes of corruption, he said, are state employees who take bribes, who use public resources unduly for their own benefit or that of third parties, who request undue advantages from companies in order to favour them during tenders, or who set up companies in their own name or the names of relatives to compete in public tenders.
610 million meticais
Known crimes of corruption in 2017 cost the state at least 610 million meticais – but Mondlane admitted that the true figure could be higher. The GCCC’s perception, he added, is that corruption, far from declining, is on the increase, although he could not put a percentage on this increase.
Also Read: Corruption costs Mozambique at least 12 mln USD in 2017
The major corruption trial impending is that of former Transport Minister Paulo Zucula, former chairperson of Mozambique Airlines (LAM), Jose Viegas, and former Mozambique representative of the South African petrochemical company Sasol, Mateus Zimba. They are accused of involvement in the 800,000 US dollar bribe that the Brazilian aircraft company Embraer offered so that LAM would purchase two of its planes in 2009.
All the paperwork in this case has now gone to the Maputo City Court, Mondlane said, and it was up to the court to set a date for the trial.
A second bribery scandal involved another Brazilian concern, the construction company, which gave a bribe of 900,000 dollars to as yet unnamed Mozambican officials, probably for the construction of the airport at Nacala, on the northern coast.
Mondlane said the GCCC is still investigating the Odebrecht case with its Brazilian counterparts,
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.