In recent days, the authorities have detained at least 30 individuals, including public officials and private citizens, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption schemes involving the Mozambique Tax Authority (AT) and the National Treasury, according to Lusa.
The information was confirmed by the director of the Central Office for Combating Organized and Transnational Crime (GCCC), Amélia Machava, on the sidelines of the national meeting of the Central Asset Recovery Office (GCRA), held in Maputo.
“About 30 people are involved, including officials and private citizens,” the official said, adding that the evidence points to illicit practices linked to Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds, in which officials allegedly demanded improper payments from businesspeople. The investigative actions, coordinated with the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), aim to combat economic and financial crimes, at a time when the Executive is strengthening its institutional commitment to fighting corruption.
Last week, images circulated by the media showed police operations at the premises of the Tax Authority, which resulted in the arrest of two officials and the seizure of documents and computer equipment. Similar operations took place at the National Treasury, where two female officials were also detained and several boxes of documents were collected for investigation. “I must say that it was not only these [people who were detained],” Amélia Machava stressed, revealing that further inquiries are under way in connection with other corruption cases, some of which involve prosecutors from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. “The case remains under instruction and the investigation will continue until all the evidence necessary to bring the cases to trial is gathered.”
The GCCC official assured that arrests are not carried out arbitrarily, but only when there are sufficient elements to support a formal charge. “When we move forward with an arrest, it is because we have some conviction that there is material for trial,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, Inocêncio Impissa, said the Government would not hesitate to act against public officials involved in corrupt practices. “We are convinced that if we manage to identify people and processes, we will spare no effort to act in an exemplary manner,” he declared.
On 13 October, President Daniel Chapo reaffirmed the State’s commitment to fighting corruption, describing the phenomenon as a “torment” that weakens the economy, undermines trust in institutions and exacerbates social inequalities.
Source: Diário Económico
