Just in: Nampula mayor sentenced to 18 months in prison, commuted to fine – Ikweli

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Just in: Nampula mayor sentenced to 18 months in prison, commuted to fine – Ikweli

1:29 CAT | 23 Apr 2021

Photo: Hermínio Raja / Ikweli

The Second Section of the Judicial Court of the City of Nampula has sentenced the president of the local authority, Paulo Vahanle, to 18 months in prison and a 12-month fine at a daily rate of 200.00 meticais.

The prison sentence was commuted to a fine at of 500.00 meticais a day, which means that Vahanle must pay just over 350,000.00 meticais to avoid a prison sentence.

This conviction is the result of the judge considering that there had been, in the context of the trial, abuse of office or function.

Co-defendant Edite Maria José was also sentenced to eight months in prison and four months’ fine at a daily rate of 200.00 meticais for the crime of abuse of position or function, and Rosário Afonso and João Pequenino to five months in prison and one month’s fine at a daily rate of 200.00 meticais.

However, according to the sentence handed down by Judge Dr Mahomed Khaled Varinda, all co-defendants (Paulo Vahanle, Edite Vasco da Cunha José, Rosário Afonso João Pequenino, Reis Chande Muamudo and Alice da Conceição Maindo) were acquitted “of the practice of the crimes of embezzlement, embezzlement of use, misuse of application, fraud, payment of undue remuneration and violation of the rules of execution of the plan and budget”.

Leaving the court, Paulo Vahanle, the condemned mayor said that “I am elected by the citizens in the municipality of Nampula, with a specific mission to work for the municipality, building roads, making bridges, improving the lives of residents and the collection of solid waste”.

Vahanle’s lawyer, Saimone Macuiane, said that “the sentence is not fair, because our mayor made no mistake. Everything he is doing he is doing for the development of the city of Nampula”. “The mayor of Nampula is doing a better job than many other mayors of municipalities who have serious problems, but they are untouchable – they are not indicted.”

The mayor’s lawyer concluded that “Our justice [system] is not well. There are national citizens with problems that bring our country into question, but they are never called to court”.

By Aunício da Silva

Source: Jornal Ikweli