Mozambique‘s Central Office for the Fight Against Corruption (GCCC) has launched two investigations into potential illegal acts involving the management of Mozambique Airlines (LAM).
According to Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique,” one of them dates back to January 2023 and concerns “the management of the fleet, notably the purchase of aircraft, their hire, and the company’s indebtedness to acquire new equipment, maintenance operations, as well as the contracting of suppliers, the legitimacy of the invoices paid, and the sale of the company’s social assets”.
The Attorney-General’s Office (PGR), to which the GCCC reports, claims to have obtained “abundant documentation related to the facts that is still undergoing due treatment” from LAM and other institutions.
The GCCC further stated that in July 2023, it requested that the General Inspectorate of Finance and the General Inspectorate of Public Administration conduct audits of the LAM management accounts. The GCCC is still awaiting the audit reports.
In addition to Mozambique, this investigation encompasses five foreign jurisdictions, necessitating international cooperation in evidence collection.
The GCCC launched a second probe this month after learning about “new facts” through media reports. This included purchasing airline tickets at LAM shops but utilising third-party POS (point of sale) equipment, as well as over-invoicing for fuel purchases on flights between Maputo and Lisbon.
Thus, two cases are underway at the GCCC to ascertain the truth regarding the scandals that have rocked LAM in recent weeks.
These investigations may answer the opposition Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM)’s demand for an independent audit, announced on Thursday at the start of the current session of the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic.
Lutero Simango, the president of the MDM parliamentary group, requested an examination of all public companies following the claim by Fly Modern Ark, the South African firm engaged to advise LAM, that around 3.2 million dollars had been embezzled from the corporation.
“The question that remains unanswered is: Where is this money going?” Simango inquired.