Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican authorities said on Monday that the “large sums of money” seized on Saturday at a home in Maputo amounted to more than 40 million meticais (€533,000), confirming the arrest of two suspects in the case.
The money was counted manually at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) in Mozambique because, due to the amount, “it was not possible to count it on site”, said the director of the Central Office for Combating Organised and Transnational Crime ( GCCCOT), Amélia Machava.
“We counted it manually, but certainly when we take the money to the Bank of Mozambique today to deposit it in the account opened by the Asset Management Office, we will have the exact amount counted by machines and not by human hands,” added Amélia Machava.
According to the official, in addition to the money, documents and electronic devices, items such as clothing and jewellery were also found during the search and seizure operation at the residence of the alleged Mozambican traders.
“We were able to ascertain (…) accounting documents, electronic devices and also the monetary value, which is over 40 million meticais,” said Amélia Machava, noting that the suspects and their lawyers also went to the PGR on Saturday.
On Saturday, the PGR announced the arrest of two people with “large sums of money” hidden in a residence in Maputo, the Mozambican capital, as part of the execution of a search and seizure warrant.
According to a statement from the PGR sent to the media, the suspects allegedly set up front companies and collected cash, storing it in the residence, where the seized amounts were hidden in “various compartments and false bottoms”.
“This is a case in which two individuals are charged with the crimes of money laundering, tax fraud and criminal association,” the document reads.
The search-and-seizure operation for the money in meticais was conducted by teams from the PGR of Mozambique and the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC).
