6 August 2008
Maputo — Two forestry officials in the central Mozambican province of Zambezia have been arrested for conniving at the illegal export of unprocessed wood last year, according to a report in Wednesday's issue of the weekly paper "Magazine Independente".
The spokesperson for the Zambezia police command, Ernesto Serrote, confirmed the detentions and the Provincial Director of Agriculture, Momed Vala, named the two officials as Ana Pinheiro and Humberto Filipe. They both worked in the forestry section of the directorate, and Filipe was head of forestry inspection.
The two are accused of conniving with a Chinese company, TTTimber World, to seal 30 containers of logs which were to have been exported from the port of Quelimane. However, some unnamed workers blew the whistle on the operation, the containers were seized and the logs were sold at public auction for over 400,000 meticais (more than 16,600 US dollars).
TTTimba World refused to speak to the press about the matter, but eventually the authorities arrested the two officials suspected of facilitating the illegal operation. The police were reluctant to say much. Serrote told the paper "work is still being done, and more people may appear in court because of their involvement in this scheme".
Vala said there could be no question of "saving" the two officials. The case was serious enough to be investigated from Beira, and the Quelimane police simply carried out the arrest warrants.
He said that Pinheiro and Filipe will be charged under Mozambican anti-corruption legislation.
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