Africa-Press – Mozambique. In Tete, thirteen civil servants accused of corruption to the value of more than 67 million meticais [around US$1 million at current exchange rates] are facing court trial.
Of the defendants, the former provincial directors of Planning and Finance, the executive of the Single Service Desk and the former provincial delegate of the Institute of Social Action in Tete are most notable.
The judge in the case, João Victorino, said that, if the allegations are proven, those involved face sentences of up to 12 years in prison.
“These crimes are punishable with up to 12 years,” he advised the defendants. “There are some crimes that are punishable with from 2 to 8 years, others with up to 12 years. So it will depend on what we are discussing now whether in fact there are convictions or not, because the stage of production of evidence is to find out whether in fact they committed [crimes] or not. There may be situations in which, if not proven, the defendant is acquitted, but, in the criminal framework and in the case of a district court, the sentences go up to 12 years,” he explained.
The presiding judge of the fifth section of the Judicial Court of the city of Tete revealed that, due to the high number of defendants and witnesses, the trial could go on for up to 30 days.
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