The director of the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration (STAE) in the district of Nampula, northern Mozambique, was arrested today on suspicion of involvement in the embezzlement of funds from polling station staff in the general elections, an official source said.
Evaristo Vileta was arrested along with four other STAE employees in the district of Nampula on suspicion of having embezzled 1.3 million meticais (18,660 euros) intended for the payment of subsidies to 300 polling station staff who participated in Wednesday’s general elections, the director of STAE in the province of Nampula, LuÃs Cavalo, told reporters.
“So far we have recovered 400,000 meticais [4,300 euros] and we obtained the other part [of the money needed to pay polling station staff] from partners,” Cavalo said.
The five STAE employees in the district of Nampula were arrested by the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic).
Wednesday’s general elections included the seventh presidential elections – in which the current head of state, Filipe Nyusi, who has reached the constitutional limit of two terms, has no longer run – simultaneously with the seventh legislative elections and the fourth elections for provincial assemblies and governors.
The candidates for the presidency were Daniel Chapo, with the support of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), in power since 1975; Ossufo Momade, with the support of Renamo; Lutero Simango, supported by the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the third parliamentary force; and Venâncio Mondlane, supported by the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos).
The vote included legislative elections (250 deputies) and for provincial assemblies and respective provincial governors, in this case with 794 mandates to be distributed.
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