Maputo 10 Jul (AIM) – The Mozambican Interior Minister, Pascoal Ronda, has called for the adoption of a severe penal framework for crimes of kidnapping, which, he said, are related to cybercrime and money laundering.
The wave of kidnappings, particularly of business people of Asian origin, has been under way in Maputo, Matola and other Mozambican cities since 2011. It has a damaging impact on the country’s economy because it scares investors away, and is one of the factors persuading businesses to move their money to other countries.
According to Ronda, who was speaking on Tuesday, in Maputo, at a National Meeting between the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), “we must include the possibility of adopting a special law for this type of crime”.
This would include tougher penalties for kidnappings and attempted kidnappings, plus provisions for seizing any assets (such as vehicles) used in the crimes.
The Minister also challenged SERNIC investigators to reflect on coordinated and articulated work with the PGR, with a view to improving prevention strategies, arrests, crime investigation and the appropriate prosecution of criminal offences.
He explained that the fight against organized and transnational crime also involves greater coordination in the preparatory investigation of the cases.
“For this reason, we invite the professionals present here to be guided by professional confidentiality, respect for legality, impartiality, non-partisanship, objectivity, and respect for human rights, with the aim of providing the best services to citizens, repudiating acts of corruption and patronage”, he said.
(AIM)
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