Society must help prevent crimes against biodiversity – Mozambican Attorney-General

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Society must help prevent crimes against biodiversity – Mozambican Attorney-General

7:59 CAT | 19 Sep 2016

In File Cub of Mozambique / Attorney General Beatriz Buchili

Mozambican Attorney-General Beatriz Buchili on Monday called for the involvement of all sectors of society “in order to adopt mechanisms to prevent and fight crimes against biodiversity, particularly the killing and trafficking in protected species, as well as illegal mining”.

She was speaking at the opening of a conference under the theme “For a More Efficient Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Defence of Legality”, focusing on the battle against cross-border organized crime.

Criminal groups, Buchili said, take advantage of the growing shortages of resources internationally to loot the resources of developing countries “in order to sell them on informal markets to the detriment of the conservation of the environment and of the sustainable development of communities”.

She hoped that the conference would “gather the experience of specialists in preventing and combating poaching, in the hope that we can drive forward the actions we have been undertaking with other public and private institutions whose vocation is the preservation of biodiversity”.

Poaching, she added, was part of the web of organized, cross-border crime “and is linked to corruption, arms trafficking, murders and other crimes”.

A further subject that will come under the spotlight at the conference, Buchili said, is the need to strengthen the capacity to fight against economic crimes, and tax and customs offences such as contraband and evasion of customs duties.

She called for continued improvements in investigative methods, but also for an overhaul of the laws concerned and for strengthening international cooperation.

The European Union ambassador to Mozambique, Sven von Burgsdorff, told the gathering “in the current context of organized crime, trafficking in protected species, money laundering and corruption in the private sector, we have to share experiences and good practices with other countries”.

He praised Buchili’s office for organizing the conference, which he regarded as “an act of transparency and responsibility” and “a recognition of the problems the country faces”.

Burgsdorff hoped the conference would “provide concrete examples and practical recommendations in order to reduce corruption, punish criminals and recover assets”.

In the context of Mozambique’s current financial crisis “money laundering must be stopped and the country’s assets recovered. Those responsible for organized crime must be made aware that our attorneys and the Criminal Investigation Police have the necessary capacities to incriminate criminals”.

The Mozambican authorities, the ambassador said, “have the responsibility to send strong signals to Mozambican citizens and to the international community that they are undertaking corrective activities to guarantee transparency and legality”.

Burgsdorff warned that “the social contract only works if citizens believe in the rule of law. Citizens accept the monopoly of state power if the relevant authorities ensure effective application of the laws without discrimination”.

“The country cannot allow laws to be broken for lack of resources”, he added. “The institutions have the responsibility for guaranteeing the rule of law and the consolidation of democracy. Without strong, determined, speedy and effective justice, democracy is vulnerable”.

The EU is already providing support of nine million euros (about 10.1 million US dollars) a year to key institutions in strengthening the rule of law, including the Attorney-General’s Office, the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption, and the Supreme Court.

Burgsdorff urged other international partners to support the Attorney-General’s Office, pointing out that “international cooperation is indispensable for solving cross-border crimes”.

Source: AIM