Maputo — The Mozambican Attorney General's Office (PGR) began, from January to September this year, 282 criminal proceedings concerning crimes against public health.
According to Deputy Attorney-General, Amabélia Chuquela, who was speaking at a meeting in Maputo regarding public health, the proceedings are related to such matters as illegal mining, pollution, and the use of toxic and dangerous substances.
Most of the cases, Chuquela explained, occurred in the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Niassa, and in the central province of Manica.
"Cabo Delgado has 185 cases, Manica has 29 and Niassa has 20 cases. This figure represents an increase of 13 cases in comparison with the same period of 2022.' The meeting - which was attended by several bodies such as the Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic), the Health Ministry, and the Drugs Regulator Authority - was intended to mobilize mechanisms in order to improve the PGR's intervention in cases of environmental crimes and their influence on public health.