Former Mozambican President Guebuza Goes To Court Over ‘Hidden Debts’ Scandal – OpEd – Eurasia Review

After intense criticisms, the former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza has finally accepted to testify as a witness in the controversial judicial trial popularly referred to as “Hidden Debts” scandal involving billions of dollars in Mozambique.

The financial scandal happened in 2013 during the state administration of Armando Guebuza, and his soft attitude to financial transparency and adamant refusal to testify earlier was considered as a display of highest disregard to the state judiciary.According to various media reports, on February 17, authorized by the Council of State and mandated by law the former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza would become the first former head of state in Mozambique’s history to appear in court to give testimony.

Public prosecutors have called on Guebuza to testify because as president and was also head of government that issued guarantees that allowed public enterprises Empresa Moçambicana de Atum (Ematum), Proíndicus and Mozambique Asset Management (MAM) to borrow US$2.7 billion (€2.3 million) from foreign banks without informing parliament or existing creditors. 

The former head of state has already been questioned by a deputy attorney general, in the pre-trial phase of the case, and by a parliamentary committee of enquiry, in 2016. Although the findings of the parliamentary committee of enquiry were not made public or debated in a full session, part of Guebuza’s statements were published by some media outlets, based…