FADM officer convicted for theft while pretending to be from Military Junta

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FADM officer convicted for theft while pretending to be from Military Junta

1:57 CAT | 04 May 2021

Photo: Sala da Paz

Jeremias Felizardo João, an officer of the Armed Forces of Defence of Mozambique (FADM), was sentenced, on Friday, April 30, to eight years in prison and the payment of various fines by the 6th section of the Judicial Court of Sofala, in Beira.

The crimes he was sentenced for were committed in August 2020 in the district of Gorongosa, where he was stationed on a military mission.

The defendant, who confessed to the crimes of which he has been convicted, pretended to be a member of the Military Junta, visiting on two occasions the house of Mr. Celestino Nhantumbo, from whom he took about 90,000 meticais and assets such as domestic animals.

He was reportedly detained two days after the second occasion as he was trying to sell the stolen goods in the village of Gorongosa.

The judge in the case, Domingos Muchiguere, noted that the accused could have received a longer sentence. “In our penal code, in case of theft, the penalty is 12 to 16 years in prison, but we decided to lower the sentence to up to eight years, because he confessed, and was a first-time defendant. He must serve his sentence in prison, and, once discharged, must reflect and abandon these practices,” Judge Muchiguere explained, as reported by Diário de Moçambique.

“It is even sadder when someone who commits such crimes is a person whose role is to guarantee the safety of people, especially in an area of armed conflict. Worse still, instead of defending people, he sowed panic, and in the name of an organization that threatens lives [the Renamo Military Junta],” the judge said.

Source: Sala da Paz