Maputo, Aug. 18, 2026 (Lusa) - Mozambique's Central Anti-Corruption Office (GCCC) has closed a case in which it was investigating alleged irregularities in the purchase of three aircraft by Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM), concluding that the available evidence was insufficient to proceed with criminal charges.
The information is contained in a letter dated 10 August, sent to the Minister for Transport and Logistics, to which Lusa gained access on Tuesday, indicating that the GCCC was investigating alleged evidence of corruption in the purchase of a Bombardier Q400 aircraft, for around $6 million (€5.1 million), as well as two Embraer 190s, purchased by the management committee as part of the company's restructuring process.
The investigation began after public complaints regarding the purchase of the Bombardier Q400 and the two Embraer 190s.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, during the investigations into case no. 120/11/P/GCCC/2025, the state-owned airline Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) carried out an internal audit that identified evidence of «the absence or insufficiency of minutes, deliberations and formal resolutions relating to certain procurement processes».
The document also said that the review highlighted opportunities to strengthen structured economic, technical and financial feasibility studies for the purchase of the aircraft, as well as scope to refine the handling of the procurement processes and to further align procedures with competitive tendering practices.
The GCCC added that it also identified the «use of intermediaries in the aircraft sourcing process», opportunities to improve pre-purchase inspections, technical and operational aspects, and technical considerations associated with the Bombardier Q400 fleet.
Despite these irregularities, the GCCC said that «insufficient details were gathered to demonstrate the legal requirements for the attribution of criminal liability», concluding that the evidence supports closing the investigation and therefore ordering the case to be closed.
«However, in light of this criminal case, it is suggested and recommended that internal control mechanisms, corporate governance, procedural guidelines and the oversight of management decisions at Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique be strengthened».
At a press conference in Maputo, the GCCC spokesperson, Romualdo Johnam, reiterated that the investigation had found no evidence of a crime.
«There were details that justified the opening of criminal proceedings for investigation, but these concerned shortcomings relating to a lack of documentation or poorly conducted administrative procedures, which did not result in any evidence of criminal liability,» he explained.
In August last year, LAM announced the acquisition of a Bombardier Q400, described as the first aircraft the company had purchased in the last 18 years. In December, it also announced the purchase of two Embraer 190s, which have been bolstering the carrier's fleet since Friday and are operating under the Air Mozambique brand.
LAM's fleet now comprises 10 operational aircraft, a figure the management plans to increase to 12 by December.
The government said that the introduction of the Air Mozambique brand and the expansion of the fleet form part of LAM's restructuring and recovery plan, aimed at increasing operational efficiency, ensuring the company's financial sustainability, and improving the quality and reliability of the services provided to passengers.
As part of the restructuring process, Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) acquired a 25.2% stake in the airline's share capital in 2025, whilst Empresa Moçambicana de Seguros (Emose) and Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique (CFM) each came to hold 15.4%.
Mozambique identified more than 3.2 billion meticais (€43.6 million) lost to corruption in the first half of this year, with the authorities having recovered 581,000 meticais (€7,841), the GCCC reported.
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