Eight state officials caught "milking" school funds in Mecuburi

Eight individuals, all state officials in the district of Mecuburi, Nampula province, northern Mozambique, are facing legal action after being accused of embezzling a total of 1,841,574.12 meticais (one million, eight hundred and forty-one thousand, five hundred and seventy-four meticais and twelve centavos), funds that were intended for the Direct Support to Schools Program.

The scheme began in 2023 and reached its peak in 2024. The suspects, all assigned to the District Directorate of Education in Mecuburi, allegedly posed as administrative and planning officers and school secretaries.

According to a statement from the Nampula Provincial Office for Combating Corruption, the suspects instructed school directors beneficiaries of the Direct Support Fund to withhold 23% of the amount received, claiming the deduction was necessary to justify the use of funds from previous years. They further claimed that the justification documents submitted by schools were being rejected by the Administrative Court, prompting doubts that led to an investigation and ultimately the arrest of the eight individuals.

The case is currently under criminal investigation, and appropriate legal measures are being pursued by the Provincial Office for Combating Corruption in Nampula. Gabriel Cassimo