Mozambique: Trial starts in case of massive theft from CEDSIF

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Mozambique: Trial starts in case of massive theft from CEDSIF

7:57 CAT | 27 Aug 2020

in file CoM

The Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office has demanded that five people alleged to have swindled 155 million meticais (about 2.2 million US dollars, at current exchange rates) out of the Centre for the Development of Financial Information Systems (CEDSIF), an institution linked to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, must be obliged to return the stolen money.

The trial of the five began on Monday before the Maputo City Court, but, according to a report in the Maputo daily “Noticias”, only two of the accused were in the dock. They are Gama Nhampalele, a CEDSIF computer technician, and Liliana Bule, an official from one of the companies that allegedly received part of the stolen money. The other three are on the run.

The accused are charged with embezzlement, money laundering, forgery, and the use of electronic means to commit theft and fraud.

The prosecution says that the 155 million meticais were transferred from the public treasury to the accounts of several companies, some of which belong to staff who work for the Mozambican Tax Authority (AT), and have commercial relations with some CEDSIF staff. The thefts began in 2017.

CEDSIF has been shaken by financial scandals, involving the fraudulent withdrawal of money from the Treasury. The crimes were carried out by CEDSIF officials who have the computer passwords needed to enter the CEDSIF system and move money from the Treasury accounts.

CEDSIF was set up to modernise the public finance management information systems, for all state and municipal bodies. CEDSIF effectively became the guardian of all the Mozambican state’s electronic money.

The trial will resume on 1 September.

Source: AIM