The Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office announced today that 40 people have been indicted for money laundering and that 330 million dollars (305 million euros) have been seized over the last five years.
‘The “modus operandi” of the defendants was the creation of front companies that were used as a vehicle for exporting capital, the origin of the funds in question being illicit and, in some cases, unknown,’ said a statement from the Mozambican Attorney General’s Office distributed today.
As part of the operation, called ‘Stop Money Laundering’, several raids were carried out on homes and commercial establishments in the cities of Maputo and Matola, in southern Mozambique, and Nampula and Nacala, in the north of the country.
‘In order to achieve their intentions, in collaboration with some customs brokers and certain bank employees, they falsified the Bank Intermediation Terms and the Customs Clearance Processes that they used to export capital, under the pretext of importing goods into various countries, mainly those considered tax havens,’ says the PGR.
According to the Mozambican Public Prosecutor’s Office, in the operation, which also has 15 companies as defendants, 12 countries were identified as recipients of the funds, and international legal co-operation was activated.
‘At the moment, the case involving the detained defendants is being submitted to the investigating judge for first questioning, and steps are being taken to capture more of those involved,’ the MP’s document concludes, without clarifying how many of those indicted are in custody.
Lusa
