The Maputo Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a case against the Secretary of State (SE) of Maputo province, Vitória Diogo, for paying an exorbitant amount of rent for a protocol residence as SE.

In case number 15/10/P/GPCCM/2020, Vitória Diogo is accused of the crimes of abuse of office or function and payment of undue remuneration. The accused caused the state to pay 400,000 meticais monthly rent for over a year for a protocol house belonging to the former Minister of Agriculture, António Limbau, according to a local newspaper.

Writes the source: "the law states that the cost of renting a house to the rulers must be a maximum of 120.000,00 meticais, and cannot be for more than one year".

Since Vitória Diogo made the state pay much more than it should have, it is understood that SE "violated Decree 75/2017, of December 27, which approves the public expenditure containment measures, by occupying a house for housing worth about 450,000.00 meticais, paid by the state."

Vitória Diogo lived in the residence, located in the city of Matola, "in the vicinity of the provincial hospital of Matola" since the SE took possession on January 24, 2020 until she was constituted defendant in March last year. "Accounts made indicate that the state spent about six million in rent from that period."

The defendant has already left the property and went to live in the house that, at the time of the facts, was occupied by Raimundo Diomba, former Governor of Maputo province. When he left office Diomba claimed to have no house to go to. This is what would have led Diogo to look for other houses. In this preamble Diogo refused luxurious proposals until she herself indicated the house of her preference.