The Administrative Court (TA) has revealed a discrepancy of more than US$33.6 million (2.1 billion meticals) in revenues from natural gas exploration in Mozambique. The information is contained in the Report and Opinion on the 2023 General State Account, submitted on Thursday (15) for debate in the Assembly of the Republic.
According to the document, the amount deposited in the Transitional Account for gas revenues was US$60.6 million (3.8 billion meticals), while the balance sheet of the Economic and Social Plan and State Budget (PESOE) for the first quarter of 2024 reports US$94.2 million (6 billion metical), thus revealing an unjustified deviation of US$33.6 million (2.1 billion metical).
The report also highlights that, in violation of Law No. 29/2022, the Government did not transfer 2.75% of oil and mining production revenues to the affected communities, nor the 7.25% earmarked for provincial structural projects. According to the TA, this omission constitutes a clear failure to comply with the provisions of the Economic and Social Plan and represents a serious flaw in the redistribution of resources from the extractive industry.
Other irregularities identified include the movement of public resources outside the normal budget execution circuit, the withholding and misuse of allocated revenues, and the omission from the General State Account of the amounts received from natural gas exports from the Rovuma basin.
The report is part of a set of 65 findings presented by the Court, which also points to the poor performance of internal auditing both at the level of the audited entities and at the central level of the Public Administration, and to the recurrence of payments of expenses without supporting documents.
The findings provoked strong reactions in parliament. For Renamo, the report reveals a ‘flawed’ account, according to MP Fernando Lavieque, who described the case as ‘yet another looting party’ given the lack of clarity and accounting rigour.
Mangaze Manuel, from Podemos, criticised the fact that sectors such as health, education and agriculture continue to receive less than expected, while funds from the extractive industry are poorly managed. He also pointed out that the budgetary process ‘remains fragile and lacking in transparency’.
On behalf of Frelimo, MP Raimundo Diomba acknowledged the challenges in financial governance, stressing that gas revenues from Rovuma represent a strategic opportunity for the country’s development and calling for the implementation of more robust control mechanisms.
The MDM added that unauthorised budget transfers to the provinces of Niassa, Manica, Gaza and Maputo had been detected, reinforcing the need for administrative and legal accountability.
Given the scenario described by the Court, the opposition benches declared that the conditions were not in place to approve the 2023 General State Account and recommended that the current government avoid repeating these mistakes, strengthening transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
O País
