Illicit political funding is a huge problem in Mozambique. It comes from different sources, such as the manipulation of public procurement, donations from businessmen seeking influence with the Government to do business and, more seriously, from the illicit economy, such as drug trafficking, smuggling of natural resources, and tax evasion. The long-standing ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party is the biggest beneficiary of illicit political funding.
From the sample collected, in the period from 2012 to 2021, FRELIMO imported goods valued at around US$7.6 million. It should have paid approximately US$3 million in import taxes. It did not, as it benefited from customs exemptions. The goods imported on behalf of Frelimo are, in fact, imports for commercial agents. It is part of a sophisticated tax evasion scheme, which damages the State in millions of dollars. The data presented in this study represents only around 10% of total imports on behalf of Frelimo over the period under review (2012-2021). There is a risk that the money from customs exemptions granted to the Frelimo party can finance organized crime…and even terrorism.
