Mozambican Presidency under scrutiny due to suspicions of ministerial corruption
The Presidency of the Republic is closely monitoring an allegation of irregularities in a public competition promoted by the Institute of Cotton and Oilseeds of Mozambique. The allegation, made by two civil society organizations - the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD) and the Center for Public Integrity (CIP) - concerns a tender for the hiring of services for a digitalization platform of the value chains of Cotton, Oilseeds, and Food Cultures, worth 130 million meticais (1.7 million euros).
The organizations raised suspicions about Mozambique's Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, in relation to the aforementioned public tender. They claim that Roberto Albino maintains business ties with Future Technologies of Mozambique, the winner of the tender, through the company Flamingo, where he holds 24% of the shares. However, the Ministry clarified that the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Fisheries, Roberto Albino, is not a shareholder of Flamingo.
Future Technologies of Mozambique is a recently created company. The digitalization platform is designed to streamline the value chains of Cotton, Oilseeds, and Food Cultures. The Presidency of the Republic has appealed to the relevant institutions to conclude their investigations, respecting the principle of presumption of innocence.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Fisheries has refuted the allegations of illegality in relation to the public tender. They announced the suspension of the tender to verify the entire process and attest to its "legal conformity." The Presidency expressed appreciation and encouragement to the CDD and the CIP for exposing the alleged irregularities.
The organizations requested that the Central Office for Combating Corruption (GCCC) investigate the case. The GCCC has yet to release any information regarding the current status of their investigation. The Presidency of the Republic has promised to continue monitoring the case of the alleged irregularities in the public competition for the digitalization platform.
As the investigation continues, the public awaits the outcome to determine the validity of the allegations and ensure the integrity of Mozambique's public tendering process.
