The Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, has ordered the cancellation of the controversial, million-dollar consultancy tender for training in auditing for the Ministry's staff.

According to a Letter from MozambiqueAccording to a source at the Ministry of Public Works, citing a reliable source in that government institution, the order to cancel the tender was given days after the announcement of the award, issued by the Ministry's Procurement Department, had caused social revulsion and revolt, due to the amounts involved. The tender had been awarded on a special basis to the Millestone, EBS and Netos e Comé & Associados consortium, for 51,795,030.80 Meticais.

Milestone Business Advisors, Limitada, is a Mozambican company, registered in March 2014, owned by the brothers Hermenegildo Comé and Emerson Comé, whose corporate purpose is to provide accounting and auditing services, management activities, stationery services, customs and customs clearance.

In turn, Neto Comé & Associados - Sociedade de Auditores e Contabilistas Certificados, Limitada, is a company registered in October 2022 by Hermenegildo Comé (owner of Milestone) and Hélder Neto Langa, whose corporate purpose is to provide auditing, consultancy, accounting, certification of accounts, tax advice, human resources management and payroll services. It was not possible to obtain information on the owners of EBS, a consultancy and IT systems company.

Point out that, according to the Regulations for the Contracting of Public Works Contracts, the Supply of Goods and the Provision of Services to the State, approved by Decree 79/2022, of December 30, the special contracting regime is used when the contract is the result of a treaty or other form of international agreement between Mozambique and another state or international organization, which requires the adoption of a specific regime.

The special regime is also used when the contract is awarded as part of projects financed wholly or substantially with funds or donations from an official foreign cooperation agency or multilateral financial body, when the adoption of different rules is expressly included as a condition of the respective agreement or contract.