Mozambique: Approval of law to recover stolen state assets ‘crucial’ – political parties

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Mozambique: Approval of law to recover stolen state assets ‘crucial’ – political parties

3:08 CAT | 02 Jun 2020

Photo: Lusa

Mozambican parliamentary opposition parties consider that the approval of a law to recover assets is crucial to stop the loss of assets resulting from criminal activities in Mozambique and to have “compensation from the State”.

The Mozambican Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday last week the draft law establishing the Legal Regime for Extended Asset Loss and Asset Recovery.

The adoption of the document, which will still be submitted to Parliament, happened about a week after the Attorney General, Beatriz Buchili, again defended the relevance of this instrument for the fight against “organised and transnational crime, with emphasis on the economic and financial nature”.

Speaking to Lusa, Arnaldo Chalaua, spokesman for Renamo, the main opposition party, said that the asset recovery law will strengthen the mechanisms of asset protection achieved through illicit activities and prevent their disappearance.

“Parliament will analyse and decide on the proposal to be submitted by the government, but there is no doubt that it is a fundamental document in the fight against corruption,” said Arnaldo Chalaua.

“The perpetrators of criminal activities cannot continue to benefit from the proceeds of their action, due to the lack of effective instruments to recover assets”.

For his part, the spokesman for the MDM, the third largest party, Fernando Bismarque, classified as legitimate the need for the country to have a law to recover assets, so that the state and victims of crime are compensated.

“It is legitimate for the Attorney General to raise this issue for the third year in a row, because the law will determine markers that will allow the recovery of assets,” said Fernando Bismarque.

“A law to recover assets will also protect assets of those suspected of participating in criminal activities who are then acquitted”.

“Since there are no clear mechanisms on how to manage assets confiscated from suspected criminals, we may have cases where the state itself has to reimburse individuals”.

Feliz Sílvia, a spokesman for the Frelimo ruling party, said “we will wait for the submission of the proposal in parliament and after we know the details of the document, we will have a more consistent position”.

The Attorney General said “we cannot ignore the fact that economic and financial crime usually presents international contours and sometimes its proceeds are transferred abroad and laundered, which makes it difficult to identify, seize and confiscate, for subsequent reversal in favour of the Mozambican state”.

Source: Lusa