Maputo, 02 Oct (AIM) – Mozambique’s Ministry of Finance has suspended the controversial disbursement of 49.5 million meticais (175, 000 US dollars at the current exchange rate) for acquisition of vehicles for the Constitutional Council (CC), the country’s highest body on constitutional and electoral law.
The controversy follows a publication in the daily newspaper “Notícias”, in which the CC awarded contracts for the acquisition of four vehicles with values ranging from 1.9 million to 27. 8 million meticais (from 29,000 to 435,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate).
The announcement sparked public criticism following the selection of four suppliers. Critics claimed that this amount of money for renewal of the vehicle fleet does correspond to the country’s current financial situation, given that health facilities lack medical equipment and medicine.
On Thursday, in a statement, the Functional Procurement Supervision Unit (UFSA), a body under the Ministry of Finance, explained that it decided to suspend the tender after finding out irregularities in procurement procedures.
UFSA also explained that the measure would allow for technical supervision and guidance of the process.
“The procurement process showed acts that could contravene regulations governing state procurement of public works, goods, and services. The suspension is grounded on public procurement regulations approved in 2022, as amended and republished last August, alongside rules governing state property management and vehicle acquisition”, reads the note.
“The UFSA will now oversee the process and provide technical guidance to the Constitutional Council to ensure full compliance with legal and procurement standards”, adds the document.
The prominent Mozambican journalist, Tomas Vieira Mario, though his Facebook account, reacted to this decision saying that “regarding official vehicles and other multi-million-cost perks for certain holders of state offices, the level of obscenity in some decisions can only be explained through psychoanalysis. One must examine the conditions under which certain individuals were born and raised to understand their mental makeup.”
(AIM)
Am/
