Mozambique: Provincial Director sentenced to five years – AIM

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Mozambique: Provincial Director sentenced to five years – AIM

5:54 CAT | 06 Jun 2021

Photo: O País

The Cabo Delgado Provincial Court in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado on Friday sentenced the former administrator of Mueda district, Maria Nhalivilo to five years imprisonment for crimes of corruption.

But Nhalivilo was not in the courtroom to hear the verdict and sentence, and so she was tried in absentia.

She has been promoted, and is currently the Director of Economy and Finance in the central province of Manica. Her absence did not amuse judge Zacarias Napatima, who promptly issued a warrant for her arrest.

Nhalivilo and the then permanent secretary of Mueda district, Guilherme dos Santos, who was also sentenced to five years, faced charges of embezzlement, illicit participation in business and making false statements. The crimes, the prosecution said, took place in 2018, when Nhalivilo was Mueda administrator.

According to the report on Saturday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”, the court found that Nhalivilo and dos Santos had awarded a building contract worth 1.3 million meticais (about 21,300 US dollars, at current exchange rates) to an association of local builders without any public tender.

The job was to rehabilitate the official residence of the head of the Ngapa administrative post. The work consisted only of painting the outside of the house, building two outside toilets, installing a mosaic floor, two air-conditioners, and some furniture.

To justify the direct award, without putting the job out to tender, Nhalivilo had claimed it was urgent because the place was to be visited by President Filipe Nyusi.

Delivering his verdict, Napatima said it had been proved that the two had falsified documents, and had defrauded the state of the 1.3 million meticais. He noted that the illicit payment took place outside of normal office hours, and the district Acquisitions Management Unit (UGEA) refused to give its go-ahead, because the relevant correspondence was not duly organized or approved.

Furthermore, the local association did not have any means of transport of its own. So Nhalivilo and dos Santos used a state-owned car and tractor, and some state employees to do the job of a private contractor.

In addition to the prison terms, Nhalivilo and dos Santos will lose to the state any assets acquired with the funds embezzled.

Nhalivilo’s lawyer was present, and was apparently shocked when the judge issued the arrest warrant. He unsuccessfully asked Napatima to revise his decision.

Source: AIM