Crime and Corruption

Mozambique is the scene of transnational organised crime (TOC), both on its territory and in its vast maritime space. The country is a corridor for drugs, illegal immigration, human trafficking and the illegal exploitation and smuggling of its rich natural resources (minerals, timber, wildlife, and fisheries). Its extensive land borders and long coastline of some 2,800 kilometres (1,700 miles) are unguarded, facilitating criminal activities. Kidnappings of businessmen for ransom have been common in Mozambique's main cities over the past two decades, with the national average of kidnappings well above that of other sub-Saharan African countries. Corruption is endemic and involves top government officials, the national private sector and foreign companies. Public procurement is the area most vulnerable to corruption, with senior government officials taking bribes from local and foreign businessmen to facilitate deals. The hidden debt scandal, in which senior government officials including the Minister of Finance, the Director-General of the Intelligence Agency and the son of the President of the Republic were convicted in court for facilitating illegal deals with international companies and banks that left the country more than $2 billion in debt and an additional 2 million Mozambicans below the poverty line, is an example of the white-collar corruption that is all too common in Mozambique. Even the current president, Filipe Nyusi, is now on the FBI's list of co-conspirators, accused of defrauding US investors. MOZ TIMES investigates and publishes in-depth stories on TOC and corruption in Mozambique, analysing how it affects governance, the business environment and the security sector.