SERNIC challenged to bring criminal masterminds to justice

Maputo, 9 Dec (AIM) – Mozambique’s Attorney-General, Américo Letela, has called on the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) to carry out investigations that target not only the perpetrators of the crimes, but also those who ordered them.

According to Letela, who was speaking on Monday, during the opening of a meeting of the SERNIC Coordinating Council, in Maputo, identifying hideouts and preventing the perpetrators is no longer enough, “the people want to know who ordered the attacks.”

“It is necessary to unmask those who profit from crime”, he said. In particular, Sernic must unmask those who profit from the wave of kidnapping that has plagued Mozambican cities since 2011.

Letela believes that drug trafficking is a national threat sustained by transnational networks, therefore “it is imperative to reveal the major beneficiaries of this criminal chain. It is not enough to seize drugs, it is necessary to expose those who profit from the destruction of lives.”

Like his predecessors, Letela said that organised crime has infiltrated the police force, and that links between the police and crime “compromise public trust.”

“We will not tolerate members involved with crime, nor internal networks that serve organized crime”, he declared. SERNIC has already made its instructions and guidelines clear. Our task is to observe and comply with the law, especially in the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking”.

Regarding the new law, which takes Sernic out of the Interior Ministry, and places it under the PGR, Letela said this reinforces the PGR’s responsibility in technical and strategic supervision. “This is not about replacing SERNIC internal bodies, but about ensuring measurable goals and results in the service of justice”, he said.

Letela added that SERNIC must act based on scientific evidence. “The country needs a criminal investigation service that anticipates and dismantles crime with rigor and professionalism”, he said.

For his part, Ilídio Miguel, the SERNIC Director-General, said that internal discipline is crucial to eliminate deviant behavior because “it is a fact that there are undisciplined and misconduct-ridden colleagues within our ranks.”

“We will deepen our intelligence work to identify and rid ourselves of these agents. This group is a minority, so we will do everything to eliminate it”.

Letela demanded an end to corruption in Sernic, describing corruption as “an insidious crime which infiltrates institutions and weakens public confidence, creating conditions that are favourable for other crimes, notably money laundering, terrorism and its financing”.

He did not name these “infiltrated” agents, on the grounds that “We cannot provide details about ongoing investigations. We are still in the process of gathering information”.

However, he said, “majority of our agents are honest and committed to their work.”
(AIM)
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