Armando Ndambi Guebuza, son of the former president of Mozambique Armando Guebuza, looks on during court proceedings in Maputo Central Prison, on 30 November, 2022.

• The trial was for Mozambican conspirators who benefitted to the tune of US$300 million from the US$2billion.
• President Filipe Nyusi’s role in the scandal when he was defence minister was not probed.
• The convicted are likely to keep their loot and no recovery efforts were made public.

The trial that found a former Mozambican president’s son and 10 others guilty on charges related to the $2 billion (about R34 billion) “hidden debt” scandal this week was a facade that further exposed how deep corruption runs in the country, a leading civil society leader has told News24.

Armando Ndambi Guebuza, son of former president Armando Guebuza, was the most prominent of the accused group and was effectively jailed for 12 years for his part in the scandal.

His co-accused received sentences ranging between 10 and 12 years.

But Professor Adriano Alfredo Nuvunga, the Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Steering Committee of the Mozambique Human Rights Defenders Network (RMDDH) says “it was a facade”.

In an interview with News24, he unpacked what the ruling meant for Mozambique and the politics at play: 

 – $2 billion scandal – 

The trial of the hidden debt was a facade. First of all it was not a trial about the $2 billion scandal. It was a trial of the kickbacks paid to Mozambican conspirators who facilitated the scandal.

As per the audit report, about $300 million was paid to Mozambican conspirators, including the former president’s son.

In the trial it was those who got the kickbacks, and not the case of the $2 billion, that led the country into economic ruin.

 – President Filipe Nyusi –  

We expected the trial to generate an automatic case against the sitting president because at the time of events he was defence minister.

The scam was around defence and maritime security issues, and then the defence minister played a pivotal role.

We hoped a case was going to be opened against him.

The judge behaved like the president’s lawyer and appeared to protect him against all the allegations.

 – Selective secrecy – 

When the trial started it was televised and streamed on social media, which was good.

But when it came to the discussion about the assets recovery, it was done in secrecy.

All that theatre disappeared, and this goes against corruption cases where the fundamental aspect is asset recovery.

 – Light sentences – 

When the judge read the verdict, he confined them to between 10 and 12 years.

This is disappointing, as in this part of the world, cases of stealing chicken and people who are involved in small robberies, are condemned to 10-20 years. But these people who connived to ruin the country got off lightly.

This was treason, a crime against the people of Mozambique, but these people were given a maximum of 12 years. They have already spent four years in jail.

That jail is a luxurious one, it’s almost a three-star hotel by European standards. They are basically not in jail.

 – Millionaire prisoners – 

With that said, these people were given such light sentences and they get to keep the stolen assets.

The verdict is part of an orchestra of organised crime against the people of Mozambique.

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