Maputo, 30 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s Attorney-General, Americo Letela, on Wednesday insisted that his institution is following up all the sign of serious crimes committed by managers of Mozambique Airlines (LAM).
Addressing the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on the second day of a debate around his annual report on the state of justice, Letela told deputies that there are several ongoing cases in which prosecutors are looking into the scandal-ridden airline, but the Mozambican legal procedures are so lethargic that none have yet come to a conclusion.
The most notorious dates back to 2008, and concerns the bribe of 800,000 US dollars paid by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer to Mozambican officials to secure the purchase of Embraer aircraft by LAM. Thanks to investigations by Brazilian and US prosecutors much of this scandal is now out in the open.
Letela said that arrests were made in Maputo and in 2021 a former Minister and a former senior LAM manager were sentenced to 10 years and total compensation to the Mozambican state of 73 million meticais. Letela did not name the suspects, but they must be former Transport Minister Paulo Zucula and former chairperson of the LAM board, Jose Viegas.
They are not in jail, and have not paid the compensation. They appealed against the verdict and sentences and, four years later, their appeals have yet to be heard.
Letela said that, in 2023 and 2024, four cases were begun against LAM managers, and are being handled by the Central Office for the Fight against Corruption (GCCC). One concerns the misuse of LAM funds to pay in advance for the purchase of aircraft which never arrived, and “gross violations” of the LAM manual for the purchase of goods and services.
A second case concerns the use of electronic payment machines, belonging to third parties, to sell LAM tickets. It is suspected that this was a mechanism to drain money from the airline.
Prosecutors are also looking at the hire of a Boeing 737 aircraft, intended exclusively to fly cargo, but which was never used.
These and other cases are still under investigation, and nobody knows when, if ever, they will come to trial. Letela said that, since investigations are ongoing “it would not be advisable to share any additional information”.
Opposition deputies attacked Letela for concentrating on crimes committed by demonstrators protesting against fraud in last year’s elections, and ignoring the murderous behaviour of the riot police. Police bullets are believed to have claimed the lives of over 350 people during the post-election unrest,
Letela replied that there had been “excesses” committed both by demonstrators and by “some members of the defence and security forces”. Prosecutors, he said, believe “you cannot correct one illegality by committing another. We believe in holding people responsible for their acts, regardless of whether they are members of the security forces, or the organisers of violent demonstrations”.
He stressed that not only demonstrators, but also police officers had lost their lives in the unrest. Letela said that 22 members of the defence and security forces had died and 178 had been injured.
Asked about the murders of prominent opposition figures, notably Elvino Dias, the lawyer for presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane, and Paulo Guambe, an election agent for the Podemos Party, who were gunned down in central Maputo on 19 October, he said investigations are continuing, led by the Maputo City Attorney’s Office.
“There is a lot of speculation about the motives for this crime”, said Letela, “but it is up to the investigation to follow up all lines, and determine which of them leads to the search for the material truth”.
He claimed that “everything is being done so that those responsible for these acts are identified and punished”.
(AIM)
Pf/ (691)
