The spokesman for Mozambique's Tax Authority (AT), Fernando Tinga, said yesterday in Boane, Maputo province, that the motives behind the "illegal" arrest of a tax official in the city of Nampula are still unknown.

Without specifying, Tinga told journalists that there are two versions of the arrest that has had widespread repercussions across the country. However, he assured that the Public Prosecutor's Office is already dealing with the matter.

"We'll leave this matter in the hands of the courts. So it's already out of the AT's hands. We hear that the Public Prosecutor's Office is dealing with the matter. So far there are allegations from both sides. We don't know for sure what happened. We have two versions and we're going to allow the authorities to make a proper judgment," he said.

The spokesman was speaking on the sidelines of the conclusion of the institution's 2nd basic paramilitary training course.

Addressing the 150 trainees, the recently appointed President of the Tax Authority, Eliza Zacarias, warned of the ruthless treatment of deviant measures in the exercise of taxation.