Former Mozambican president Armando Guebuza denied any wrongdoing when he testified on Thursday in the corruption trial of his son and other officials accused of illegally benefitting from a secret loan borrowed by his government in 2014.
Guebuza, who left power in 2016, took to the witness stand in the ongoing trial in which 19 officials are facing charges of diverting proceeds from a US$2-billion loan obtained by the government but which was not declared to the country’s parliament.
His son, Ndambi, is among those facing corruption charges and is accused of accessing bribes amounting to over US$500 million to persuade his father to approve the secret loan.
The former president argued in court that his government decided to get the loan – which were ostensibly meant for some fishing projects – because there was a security threat to the country.
Guebuza becomes the first former Mozambican president to take the witness stand in a court case.
The discovery of the secret loan scandal triggered a withdrawal of crucial aid to Mozambique and a collapse of the country’s currency.
JN/APA