The Swiss government says it is willing to increase the institutional support granted to Mozambique in the areas of criminal investigation, asset management and anti-corruption within the framework of the partnership between judicial bodies and civil society organizations in both countries..

This was expressed this Monday (20) in Maputo by the ambassador of that European country accredited to Mozambique, Alain Gaschen, during the first National Meeting of the Central Asset Recovery Office.

According to the diplomat, quoted by AIM, technical discussions are already underway on the details of the new program, which will focus on increasing the capacity of institutions in terms of research quality.

"This national meeting is part of the festivities included in the work plan of the anti-corruption and accountability program, established between the Attorney General's Office of Mozambique and Swiss Cooperation with technical assistance from the Basel Institute on Governance, through the international Centre for Asset Recovery."

For her part, the Attorney General of the Republic, Beatriz Buchili, who took part in the event, said that the creation of the Central Asset Recovery Office in 2020 and the approval of its regulations in 2022 had made a major contribution to strengthening the mechanisms for preventing and combating organized and transactional crime.

"The fulfillment of these objectives requires the Public Prosecutor's Office to respond in a way that meets the expectations of our people, since the restitution of funds and assets with illicit origins contributes to increasing society's trust in institutions, particularly the judicial system," added Beatriz Buchili.

He explained that the aim of the national meeting of the Central Asset Recovery Office (GCRA) is to take stock of the body, in terms of harmonizing procedures, operation and coordination with other state bodies.

Buchili explained that no institution can fight organized and transactional crime alone. For this reason, he considers cooperation to be fundamental and calls for closer coordination between the GCRA and the relevant players, especially the Tax Authority, the Bank of Mozambique, the Registry and Notary, the Municipalities, the Gaming and Insurance Inspectorates.