Crime Africa

Ex-Mozambique president’s son gets 12 years in jail for graft

Ndambi Guebuza stands at the Maputo Central Prison on December 7, 2022

Ndambi Guebuza, the son of Mozambique’s former president Armando Guebuza will serve 12 years in jail after he was convicted in a $2 billion corruption case, a court ruled Wednesday.

The scandal emanated from loans to three state-owned companies — Indicus, Ematum and Mam — meant to finance a fishing project.

President Guebuza ruled Mozambique between 2005 and 2015 and the loans were secretly endorsed by the ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) government, led then by him, without the knowledge of parliament and the Administrative Court.

Ndambi Guebuza is among eleven people who will serve jail terms of between 10 to 12 years and will also pay fines.

Bruno Langa, Ndambi Guebuza’s friend, was also sentenced to 12 years in prison in addition to a fine of Meticais 252,000 (about $ 3,945).

Pay fines

The former president’s private secretary Inês Moiane was sentenced to 11 years in prison and will be required to pay a Meticais 35,000 (about $ 5,479) fine, while his political advisor Renato Matusse was sentenced to 12 years witha Meticais 35,100 fine.

According to the court, former general director of the State Secret Intelligence Services (SISE) Gregório Leão and former SISE Director for Economic Intelligence António Carlos do Rosário will both serve 12-years in prison.

Cipriano Mutota, who was a SISE staff during the scandal, was jailed for 10 years.

While delivering his verdict on Wednesday, Justice Efigénio Baptista, who acquitted eight other suspects, started by pointing out the degree of guilt of the defendants.

In this case, 19 defendants were charged with blackmail, forgery, embezzlement and laundering an estimated $200 million in kickbacks.

The bribes were paid to several players in the scandal who included Mozambique state officials and Credit Suisse bankers who are accused of falsely claiming that the funds would be invested in tuna fishing.

Also sentenced for 12 years was Teófilo Nhangumele who acted as an intermediary in the negotiation phase of the loans.

 

Source: theeastafrican.co.ke

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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