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Mozambique: Former Dondo administrator sentenced
12:51 CAT | 11 Mar 2020
Dondo District Judicial Court. [Photo: DW]
A court in Sofala province has sentenced former Dondo administrator Graça Correia to two years in prison and a fine for “abuse of office”. Her legal defence may appeal the sentence.
The former administrator of Dondo district, in Sofala province, was sentenced in the first instance to two years in prison and a fine of ten months minimum salary. Graça Correia was found guilty of abusing her office, but her defence could still appeal.
Correia allegedly expedited the career progression of certain cadres in the district’s education sector, who were about to retire, thereby improving their retirement benefits. She was also charged with the “arbitrary imposition” of surcharges in the exploitation of sand for construction.
Sentence was handed down by Leonilde Muhate, the presiding judge of the Dondo distric court, on Monday (09-03).
During pre-sentence hearings, Correia acknowledged her guilt before the judicial court bench, but claimed that she did not act in bad faith and that she was unaware of procedures and rules.
Correia’s defence lawyer, Joaquim Martins, maintained that the corruption allegation had not been proven in court. “Let it be clear that co-defendant Graça [Correia] was not even accused of corruption in the prosecution files. The defence will appeal against this decision and see if a decision that fits better with law and justice does not come out,” he said.
The case was brought in 2018 by the Provincial Office to Combat Corruption. Graça Correia is currently the administrator of Namacurra, a district in Zambézia province.
Source: Deutsche Welle
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