The Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) has warned that Mozambique may not make it off the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List by the end of March, contrary to government projections. The organisation’s analysis, released this Sunday (9), is based on the country’s recent classification in the 13th edition of the Basel AML Index, an independent instrument that assesses the risk of money laundering and financial crimes at a global level, as reported by the Carta de Moçambique portal .
According to the CIP, Mozambique is currently in 12th position, with a 7.15 per cent risk, which still places it as a high-risk country for money laundering. Despite the improvement compared to 2023, when it ranked 6th with 7.88%, the country is still among the most vulnerable, being outranked by nations such as Niger (18th), Mali (19th) and Burkina Faso (28th).
The organisation points out that the improvement in the ranking can be explained by the increase in the number of jurisdictions assessed, which exceeded 12 in 2024 compared to the previous year, and not necessarily by effective progress in the fight against money laundering.
In addition, compliance with the FATF’s recommendations is not yet complete, as an up-to-date database of non-profit civil society organisations is missing, one of the essential requirements for removal from the Grey List.
‘The organisation points out that the improvement in the ranking can be justified by the increase in the number of jurisdictions assessed, which exceeded 12 in 2024 compared to the previous year, and not necessarily by effective progress in the fight against money laundering’
Another point of concern raised by the CIP is the lack of transparency in the results of the ‘Stop Money Laundering’ operation, launched by the Attorney General’s Office in 2024. The operation targeted 40 nationals and 15 foreigners suspected of involvement in money laundering offences, document forgery, tax fraud, criminal association and the use of false documents.
Several residential and commercial buildings were also seized in the cities of Maputo, Matola, Nacala and Nampula. However, there is no clear information on the outcome of the case, which, according to CIP, raises doubts about the effectiveness of the measures adopted to combat this type of crime.
Mozambique has been on the FATF Grey List since October 2022, and the government aims to remove the country from this classification by the end of the first quarter of 2025. The national coordinator of the Executive Committee for the Coordination of Policies to Prevent and Combat Money Laundering and Terrorism, Luís Cezerilo, assures that Mozambique has already complied with 25 of the FATF’s 26 recommendations, with only the database of civil society organisations still to be updated.
