A historic trial five years ago, this corruption case had plunged the country into the most serious financial crisis since its independence and involved part of the Mozambican political class.
On the bench off the accused: nineteen people, accused of extortion, forgery, embezzlement or even money laundering, for amounts of several million euros.
It all started in 2013 and 2014, when three Mozambican public companies contracted almost two billion euros in loans, officially for shipyard and maritime surveillance projects. In reality, they would have covered an extensive corruption company in favor of those close to power.
In 2016, the scandal broke, the government admits to having borrowed this money without warning either parliament or the donors, who immediately stop their aid to Mozambique. The country can not repay its debts and its currency, the metical, is collapsing.
It is therefore an extraordinary trial that began yesterday, under a tent in the Machava prison, in Maputo with dozens of witness lawyers and journalists, and interrogations planned to last for two months.
Among the accused: Ndambi Guebuza, son of former President Armando Guebuza, but also the former head of the security service, Gregorio Leao. Former Finance Minister Manuel Chang, who was also indicted in this case, was not present at the start of the trial. He is currently in South Africa where he was arrested in 2018, but the South African authorities announced yesterday their decision to extradite him to Mozambique.
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