Maputo — The Anti-Corruption Office in the central Mozambican province of Zambézia has formally accused Marla Matos, daughter of the province's governor, of misappropriation of 10 million meticais ( 156,000 US dollars at the current exchange rate) intended for the purchase of a vessel.
According to a high-ranking source at the prosecutor's office, cited by the independent paper "Carta de Moçambique", Matos's defense team has requested a preliminary hearing, during which additional investigative steps will be taken at their request.
Matos faces charges alongside four other defendants involved in the same case.
Recently, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) dispatched the Deputy Director of the Central Anti-Corruption Office (GCCC) to Zambézia to closely monitor several high-profile cases currently underway in the province, particularly those involving prominent government and civil service figures allegedly colluding with private sector actors.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The case involving the alleged misappropriation of 10 million meticais from the Zambezia Provincial Directorate of Transport and Communications came to light in 2022. It is believes that Matos transferred the money to OK Corporation, a company in which she is a shareholder.
The scandal broke after the vessel intended to transport passengers and cargo between Quelimane and Inhassunge failed to be delivered by the agreed deadline, and it was revealed that the contract had been awarded via direct procurement rather than a public tender.
After remaining silent for some time in the face of persistent questioning by journalists and civil society organizations, the governor Pio Matos finally addressed the matter during the campaign for the 2024 provincial elections, in which he was running for office again.
During a campaign event, Matos promised to "clear the air". What followed was the delivery by OK Corporation of a vessel that allegedly lacked the proper specifications for transporting passengers and cargo along that stretch of the Bons Sinais River.
Nevertheless, it was observed that the supply of the vessel by OK Corporation was a desperate measure Pio Matos resorted to in order to bury the scandal.
