Lichinga mayor arrested on suspicion of corruption

Saíde Amido, mayor of Lichinga, the capital of Mozambique’s northern Niassa province, was detained by police on charges of corruption and abuse of power on Wednesday, and is being held in provisional detention on the orders of Lichinga judicial court judge Sonia Piquitai.According to Piquitait, Frelimo member Amido is charged with bribery and abuse of power.”There was an accusation against him and, upon analysis, the judge found sufficient grounds for preventive detention, which was ordered. Saide Amido was arrested based on more than a case against him,” Piquitai said, declining at a press conference to give further details.

Saíde Amido (in green) during the inauguration of a public work in Lichinga

Head of Mayor’s Office also arrested

 Spokesman for the Niassa provincial public attorney’s office Aristides Maezana said that an investigation into corruption and abuse of power in Lichinga city council had been ongoing since last year, and told reporters that two other local authority officials had also been arrested –  Jonas Pedro and Adérito André, the latter the head of the mayor’s office – and were accused of embezzlement and fraud.All three were earlier detained for questioning in matters indicating crimes of corruption, unlawful acts, abuse of authority, fraud and breach of state’s guidelines, all punishable by law: “The mayor was indicted along with two other defendants in the commission of two crimes of abuse of power … the other two defendants are charged with swindling and fraud, “says Aristides Maezana.

Judge of Lichinga Provincial Court Sónia Piquitai (R), during the press conferenceAsked if there was no alternative to arrest, Maezana explained that house arrest as such was not an option within the Mozambican legal framework. “The arrest was based on the fear of people continuing to carry out criminal activities. This forced justice to take a clear position and deprive these three people of their liberty,” he explained.Amido is accused of having charged three foreigners from the Great Lakes region money for licenses to do business in Mozambique, and of having deceptively sold plots on the perimeter of the municipality.

Next steps

The defendants now have five days to appeal the remand decision. According to judicial sources in Lichinga, the trial of the three defendants has been set for ten days from now.In the interim, the city council will be administered by the president of the municipal assembly.