Maputo, Aug. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - The Central Anti-Corruption Office (GCCC) announced on Tuesday that it had arrested and charged at least nine Mozambican police officers in the first half of the year for alleged involvement in offences of passive corruption, abuse of office and unlawful detention.
At a press conference, the GCCC spokesperson, Romualdo Johnam, explained that authorities arrested three officers from the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in the first half of the year, and prosecutors initiated criminal proceedings against them, accusing them of bribing magistrates and criminal investigation officers, after they had gone to a car dealership to demand payment of one million meticais (€13,502) to drop an investigation.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement caught the officers red-handed whilst receiving the sum of 120,000 meticais (€1,619), and the office has referred the case to court.
Two other Sernic officers also faced arrest and charges for alleged passive corruption; the Public Prosecutor's Office explained that they had demanded payments from a suspect in exchange for not executing an arrest warrant, and the defendants are now awaiting the court's ruling whilst on bail.
Meanwhile, authorities arrested four other officers from the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) on suspicion of unlawful arrest, abuse of office and passive corruption in connection with an unlawful act, after they unlawfully detained a foreign national and subjected that person to unauthorised medical examinations.
According to the GCCC, the officers forced the citizen in question to hand over €400 as a condition for his release; the respective criminal cases have now been referred to the court, whilst the officers are currently awaiting trial whilst on bail.
«We wish to make it known that we continue to record numerous cases of unlawful extortion by police officers of the Republic of Mozambique or members of the criminal investigation services,» said GCCC spokesperson Romualdo Johnam.
Mozambique lost more than 3.2 billion meticais (€43.6 million) to corruption in the first half of the year, with the authorities recovering 581,000 meticais (€7,841), the GCCC also reported today.
This body of the Public Prosecutor's Office also indicated that in the first half of this year alone, 1,646 cases were processed, compared with 1,509 in the same period the previous year, representing an increase of 137; the body noted that, of the total, at least 559 were concluded, compared with 491 in the same period the previous year.
Among the offences, passive bribery for an unlawful act stands out, with 306 cases, followed by abuse of office or position with 144, active bribery with 103, falsification of qualifications with 74, embezzlement with 68 and money laundering with seven cases, as reported by the GCCC.
In April, the Attorney General of the Republic of Mozambique, Américo Letela, stressed the importance of combating the «normalisation» of corruption, arguing that it fosters a culture of tolerance towards unlawful acts, in which crime comes to be seen as a legitimate means of furthering individual interests.
Also in April, Mozambique launched the Intervention and Awareness Group (GRIS), comprising nine members, with the aim of encouraging citizens' participation in the fight against corruption and promoting safe reporting within communities, schools and public institutions.
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