Mozambican authorities have seized several materials as part of an investigation into corruption allegations at Mozambique Airlines (LAM), the Central Anti-Corruption Directorate (GCCC) said on Tuesday.
“We have several suspects and some searches and arrests have already been carried out. We are still conducting investigations that we cannot yet detail here for reasons of judicial secrecy,” Romualdo Honam said at a press conference to review the activities for the first semester of this year in Maputo.
The case is investigating alleged corruption in the sale of tickets by the Mozambican carrier and the management of its fleet, which has been undergoing restructuring since April 2023 as part of contract company Fly Modern Ark’s plan to restore LAM.
In February, LAM’s restructuring director, Sergio Matos, denounced a scheme to steal money, with losses of around three million euros, from ticket shops selling tickets through automatic payment terminals (TPA/POS) that were not owned by the company.
“It’s for sale, but the company doesn’t have all the money, and over the last three months of valuations we’ve seen that the difference we had was about two million dollars. [1,8 milhões de euros] and three million dollars [2,7 milhões de euros]. Only in December [de 2023]we had a deficit of 3.2 million dollars [2,9 milhões de euros]”, – Sergio Matos noted at the time, adding that the inspection had recorded suspicious cases even when cash was being withdrawn from stores.
The inspection also revealed deviations in the fuel supply to the aircraft.
“If an aircraft has a maximum fuel capacity of about 80,000 liters, we call it 80 tons. [nos documentos] the same plane is refueled with 95 tons. So the question is where the remaining 15 tons will go,” he asked.
Following complaints about alleged corruption at LAM, the Institute for the Management of Public Participation (IGEPE), the organization that manages the public business sector in Mozambique, announced that it wanted the alleged irregularities and acts of internal sabotage to be investigated and called for an investigation into the Public Service.
In January 2023, the GCCC had already initiated process No. 06/11/P/GCCC/2023, to investigate allegations regarding the management of the fleet, namely the sale of aircraft, their lease, the company’s debt for the purchase of new equipment and maintenance operations.
The process also focuses on supplier recruitment, billing legitimacy and the sale of the company’s social assets.
South African company Fly Modern Ark has operated LAM since April last year and is currently undergoing a restructuring plan.
The company’s revival strategy takes into account years of operational problems associated with a small fleet of aircraft, a lack of investment, and several non-fatal incidents that experts attribute to poor aircraft maintenance.
In June of this year, LAM’s board of directors elected Americo Muchanga, a former resident of Aeroportos de Moçambique, as the company’s president.
LAM serves 12 domestic destinations, with regional flights to Johannesburg, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Lusaka and Cape Town, and Lisbon as its only intercontinental destination.
EAC // QMS
Lusa/The End
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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