A Mozambican court yesterday found a former president’s son and 10 other people guilty on charges related to a $2 billion (about R34bn) “hidden debt” scandal that crashed the nation’s economy, sentencing them each to more than 10 years in prison.
Eight of 19 individuals, including state security officials, who had been on trial on charges such as money laundering, bribery and blackmail, were acquitted by the court.
Armando Ndambi Guebuza, son of former president Armando Guebuza, was sentenced to 12 years for his role in the scandal, which saw hundreds of millions of dollars in government-backed loans disappear. Others who were convicted were handed sentences of between 10 and 12 years.
Two intelligence service officials, general director Gregorio Leao and head of the economic unit, Antonio Carlos do Rosario,…