The President of the Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique - CTA, Agostinho Vuma, could be taken to court for possible disobedience to a court order, warned the President of the Mozambican Association of Judges (AMJ).

"The President of the CTA, in the worst case scenario, could be arrested in the future, sentenced to prison, because he is disobeying a court order. The Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique clearly states that the decisions of the courts are binding, obligatory for all of us citizens, natural persons, legal persons, public or private. There is no escape here," he said.

Esmeraldo Matavele explained that court orders are always superior to the statutes of associations and other institutions, including the Presidency of the Republic or the Assembly of the Republic.

"The internal statute is far below the laws... the statute is an internal law, but it is not above the laws that belong to all of us as Mozambican citizens," he said, clarifying that "a Mozambican judge or court has the power to revoke any kind of disciplinary process in the Republic of Mozambique, even if it is at the Presidency of the Republic, the Assembly of the Republic, the CTA or any public or private institution."

This comes after the President of the CTA, Agostinho Vuma, publicly stated that "there will be no court to decide the disciplinary process of the CTA". Vuma was discussing the imbroglio with the Mozambique Chamber of Commerce.

In an interview with Miramar, Matavele said today that a possible retreat by the Public Prosecutor's Office would be possible if Vuma regretted his statements and retracted his decision. In other words, there is no correspondence between what he said and what he is doing.

The AMJ said that a possible case against Agostinho Vuma, in the current context, for contempt of court, would not require a complaint, since the act occurred publicly and was widely reported in the press.

"The President of the CTA has not done well, and because of this, the Public Prosecutor's Office will be able to take action. It's a public crime. He doesn't need a complaint. The mere fact that he made himself known, his statement and his behavior in the process constitute disobedience and this must be judged and he held responsible under the law," he stressed.