The Swiss government has affirmed its willingness to increase the institutional support given to Mozambique in the areas of criminal investigation, asset management and the fight against corruption within the framework of the partnership between judicial bodies and civil society organisations in both countries.
This was expressed on Monday (20) in Maputo by the Swiss ambassador to Mozambique, Alain Gaschen, during the first two-day meeting of the Central Asset Recovery Office (GCRA).
“Technical discussions are already underway on the details of the new programme, which will focus on increasing the capacity of institutions in terms of the quality of investigations,” said the diplomat, quoted by the Mozambican Information Agency (AIM).
On the occasion, the Attorney General of the Republic, Beatriz Buchili, said that the creation of the GCRA in 2020 and the approval of its regulations in 2022 had made a significant contribution to strengthening the mechanisms for preventing and combating organised and transnational crime.
“The fulfilment of these objectives requires the Public Prosecutor’s Office to respond in a way that meets the expectations of our people, since the restitution of funds and assets with illicit origins contributes to increasing society’s trust in institutions, particularly the justice system,” she added.
Meanwhile, Beatriz Buchili explained that no institution can fight organised crime on its own, and therefore called for closer coordination between the GCRA and relevant players, especially the Tax Authority, Bank of Mozambique, Registry and Notary, Municipalities, Gaming and Insurance Inspectorate.
