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LAM Mozambique Airlines has a new director general
10:39 CAT | 29 Feb 2024
File photo: Domingo
The Board of Directors of Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) yesterday announced the termination of duties of the company’s general director, as part of the company’s restructuring measures.
João Carlos Pó Jorge will be replaced by Theunis Christian de Klerk Crous, who will take on the role on an interim basis until April 30, the period scheduled for a decision to renew the contract with Fly Modern Ark (FMA), a South African company contracted to recover the LAM, reads a LAM note issued after the Board of Directors meeting.
Theunis Christian de Klerk Crous is a partner at FMA.
READ: Mozambique: Renewal of airline recovery contract depends on details
The termination of duties of João Carlos Pó Jorge, who held the position since 2018, comes after the director of restructuring of Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM), Sérgio Matos, denouncing, on February 12, in a press conference, a scheme of embezzlement of money, with losses of at least almost three million euros, in ticket sales outlets, through automatic payment terminal machines (TPA/POS) that do not belong to the company.
The Central Anti-Corruption Office (GCCC) of Mozambique opened a case (nº 21/P/GCCC/2024) to investigate alleged corruption schemes in the sale of tickets by the Mozambican air carrier and in the management of the company’s fleet, according to Lusa source linked to the investigations.
“To this case, the participation sent by the company was added, in its duty to collaborate with justice, as well as that sent to the public prosecutor of the city of Maputo, as it was incompetent in the matter”, added the source.
The GCCC decided to act after learning of new facts related to the purchase of airline tickets at LAM stores using automatic payment terminals belonging to third parties and under-invoicing when purchasing fuel on the Maputo-Lisbon flight, the source continued.
READ: Mozambique: LAM management shocked at allegations of embezzlement
Mozambique: LAM records loss of three million dollars due to embezzlement – AIM
In January 2023, the GCCC had already opened a case no. 06/11/P/GCCC/2023, to investigate allegations about fleet management, namely, the sale of aircraft, their rental, the company’s debt for acquisition of new equipment and maintenance operations.
The case also focuses on hiring suppliers, legitimacy of invoicing paid and the sale of the company’s social assets.
The GCCC requested the General Inspectorate of Finance and the General Inspectorate of Public Administration to carry out audits of LAM’s management accounts, the reports of which it is still awaiting, the source said.
In addition to Mozambique, the alleged facts under investigation “occurred in five foreign jurisdictions, which required the use of international cooperation to obtain evidence”, added the same source.
Following complaints about alleged corruption in the sale of LAM tickets, the Institute for the Management of State Holdings (IGEPE) , the entity that manages the State’s business sector in Mozambique, announced that it wants to see the alleged deviations and acts of internal sabotage investigated. and asked for an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR)..
Taking into account the seriousness of the information made public, IGEPE instructed Fly Modern Ark and the flag carrier itself to investigate the facts and immediately channel the suspicions to the competent authorities, and a request for investigation was presented to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the city of Maputo, added the institute.
READ: Mozambique: IGEPE calls for PGR to investigate alleged corruption schemes at LAM – AIM report
FMA has been managing LAM since April last year with a restructuring plan underway.
The company’s revitalization strategy follows years of operational problems related to a small fleet and lack of investment, with the record of some non-fatal incidents, associated by experts with poor aircraft maintenance.
LAM operates 12 destinations in the domestic market, regionally it regularly flies to Johannesburg, Dar-Es-Salaam, Harare, Lusaka, and Cape Town, and Lisbon is the only intercontinental destination.
READ: Mozambique: CIP fears “hidden privatisation of LAM”
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Source: Lusa
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