Mozambique: Chapo Calls for Rigorous Action Against Corruption

Maputo — Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has called for rigorous administrative action against corruption in order to preserve the authority of the State and promote good governance.

According to the President, who was speaking on Wednesday, in Maputo, at the opening ceremony of the First Seminar on External Oversight of State Resources for Public Managers, civil and criminal accountability of public managers must be regarded as an essential condition to curb fraud and corruption.

"Wherever there is financial wrongdoing, there must be consequences. The determination of responsibility and the application of the corresponding sanction are fundamental. Administrative, disciplinary, civil and criminal accountability is a condition for preserving the authority of the State', he said.

Chapo believes that the work carried out by the Administrative Tribunal (TA) and the Attorney General's Office (PGR) must be based on "strategic and shared coordination of information, avoiding gaps that weaken the fight against fraud and corruption.'

The President also said that the creation of the State General Inspectorate will bring together the components of financial and administrative oversight and inspection.

"It is not about creating structures just for the sake of creating them, but about strengthening the State's capacity to self-regulate and correct deviations before they turn into crises. We also must have a State Procurement Center, which will be aimed at ensuring greater transparency and rationality in the processes of acquiring and supplying goods and services to the state apparatus', he said.

According to Chapo, the current tax reforms must be accompanied by a swift, technically robust, and territorially accessible administrative justice system. "The gradual establishment of administrative, tax, and customs courts in the provinces represents a firm step in the democratization and modernization of access to justice', he said.

He added that his government will continue strengthening the bodies of the administration of justice, providing them with adequate human, technical, and financial resources.

"We will move forward with the creation of the Administrative Accounts Tribunal and the Supreme Administrative Tribunal, with a view to ensuring greater specialization in the area of public accounts. Every metical collected must be used rigorously and every item of expenditure must be justifiable to the citizen', he added.