The Provincial Office for Combating Corruption in Manica province, in central Mozambique, recorded 149 crimes in the first half of this year. The health sector and the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) registered the highest number of corruption cases.

Quoted by AIM, the deputy director of the Manica Provincial Office for Combating Corruption, Domingos Julai, said today, at the ceremonies marking African Anti-Corruption Day, that illicit collections and abuse of office are the crimes with the highest number of cases in the civil service. Of this number, according to the source, 68 have been cleared up and the remaining 81 are still being processed.

"We have recovered close to 90,000 meticais in all the corruption and related crimes. But we also have some cases going through the institution in which the value is estimated at close to three million meticais. This amount should be recovered in the near future," he said.

The source added that his institution is dealing with two criminal cases of money laundering.

"These cases are at the pre-trial stage. These are crimes that don't just happen in the public or private sector. They even affect individuals. The nuances of these crimes are different from corruption. These are cases that require a lot of attention from the administration of justice bodies," he stressed, calling on officials and the population in general to take part in actions to combat corruption, an evil that undermines the country's development.

(Photo DR)