A public prosecutor in Maputo has been expelled from the staff of the Public Prosecutor's Office for facilitating the release of an imprisoned defendant. The Superior Council of the Judiciary of the Public Prosecutor's Office also sanctioned other staff, according to a statement from the Superior Council of the Judiciary of the Public Prosecutor's Office.

In addition to the expulsion of the prosecutor, magistrates and bailiffs were sanctioned. Among them is a magistrate who was expelled.

According to the note sent to the media, the institution decided: "To apply the sanction of expulsion to a magistrate, with the rank of 2nd class prosecutor, from the staff of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of the Republic-Maputo, for having favored the release of an imprisoned defendant, accused of drug trafficking, and of the Mozambican State, of the staff of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of the Republic-Maputo, for having favored the release of an imprisoned defendant, accused of drug trafficking, to the detriment of justice and the Mozambican state, as well as having ordered the arrest of a citizen without justified reasons and having failed to show up punctually for the proceedings, undermining the control of the legality of the arrests and the observance of the respective deadlines".

In the note, the Superior Council of the Judiciary of the Public Prosecutor's Office also states that it has expelled a bailiff in Zambezia and an assistant bailiff in Gaza for using their functions for their own benefit and to the detriment of others. Those sanctioned allegedly solicited and received money for the release of imprisoned defendants.

The Council also decided to demote: "an assistant bailiff, with the rank of provincial court clerk, from the staff of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of the Republic-Cabo Delgado for failing to carry out mandatory procedural acts".

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the magistrates' management and disciplinary body held from July 19 to 21.