PR calls for “integrity and frontality” to the governance of the Bank of Mozambique

“ ANDlet us hope that they work with the other members of the bodies of the Bank of Mozambique, as a single team, with the necessary responsibility and competence, with a single institutional mission and at the service of the same country and the same Mozambican people and, above all, of the same economy. We are not looking for stars, but a star team,” Chapo said.

The position was transmitted after holding the Presidency of the Republic, Benedita Maria Guimino as vice-governor, after Wednesday having sworn in Felisberto Dinis Navalha as new governor, thus recomposing the main body of the Bank of Mozambique, after ten years of leadership of Rogério Zandamela.

On Tuesday the Mozambican President appointed economist Felisberto Dinis Navalha, with a 28-year course in the central bank, for governor, one day after having appointed Waldemar Fernando de Sousa to the office, claiming “supervenient issues” – known after the decision – after disclosure of details of the investigation to his alleged involvement in the process of the State’s hidden debts.

The decision was announced in a statement by the Mozambican Presidency, which on Monday at the end of the day had announced the appointment of Waldemar Fernando de Sousa and Felisberto Dinis Navalha as deputy governor, now promoted to governor.

“ With this takeover, the new leadership of the Bank of Mozambique is constituted, to which we entrust the responsibility to preserve monetary and financial stability, strengthen the credibility of our financial system and contribute, within the framework of its tasks, to the transformation of the Mozambican economy ", defended today Chapo.

“ We expect from this new leadership cohesion, complementarity, technical rigor, responsibility, competence, integrity and frontality in the internal debate and unity in the implementation of decisions”, added the Head of State.

He also recognized the importance and example of the appointment of Benedita Maria Guimino, as it was more than 50 years after the creation of the Bank of Mozambique, the first time a woman arrived in the position of deputy governor: “It is a milestone in the history of this institution and another step in affirming the merit and capacity of Mozambican women”.

In his speech, the Mozambican President recalled that the central bank “has important responsibilities” to maintain in preventing and combating money laundering, financing terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: “This is a domain in which we cannot let our guard down. A financial system is also sound when it is integrity, transparent and capable of preventing its channels from being used to hide, move or legitimize resources from illicit activities.”.

It therefore challenged the new leadership of the Bank of Mozambique “to strengthen supervision, mechanisms for preventing and detecting suspicious operations and the culture of compliance” in financial institutions.

“ Fighting money laundering is protecting the national economy. It's protecting our institutions. It's protecting our country's reputation. And it is to ensure that the financial system is at the service of those who work, produce, invest and create wealth honestly, lawfully and legitimately ", defended.