Attorney General worried by increase in financial crime

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Attorney General worried by increase in financial crime

1:54 CAT | 12 Jun 2018

Deputy Attorney General, Amabélia Chuquela (O País)

Economic and financial crimes are on the rise in Mozambique, the Attorney General’s Office says, with Deputy Attorney General Amabélia Chuquela adding that these crimes are very complex and addressing them requires the collaboration of all entities involved in the financial markets.

“An investigation into money laundering crime takes a long time. It is necessary to cross-reference bank data and request data from the tax authorities, so it ends up touching several sectors,” Chuquela explains.

The state has been severely compromised by this type of crime, so institutions need to work together to identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable.

“We want to be able to gather all the information in order to identify the criminals involved and charge them. We want to seize their assets and sell them in favor of the state. Mozambique is going through a very worrisome financial crisis. If every one of us fought economic and financial crimes vehemently, our country will be able to overcome some problems that we verified” Chuquela says.

Chuquela was speaking on Monday during the opening ceremony of the second training course for magistrates of the Public Prosecution Service and agent of the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) in matters related to economic-financial crimes. According to the source the training of agents is critical because of the way these fraudulent organizations act.

“It’s a fairly organized and complex crime, but the modus operandi are constantly changing. We think it is important that the investigative bodies and the criminal court are equipped with tools that allow them to cope with this increase in this type of crime,” she says.

The Attorney General’s Office says they are already working on cases of financial crime and money laundering.

“There are cases already occurring in the country related to money laundering offenses and some of them have already been indicted. The prosecutions are in court and we think it is important that these crimes are tried and people are properly held accountable,” she concluded.

Portugal’s Attorney General is also a trainer on the training, which started on Sunday and lasts for five days.

Source: O País