- Américo Muchanga was elected today to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of LAM Mozambique Airlines.
- Muchanga’s election took place at an Extraordinary General Meeting which decided to change the company’s corporate governance structure.
- In the same session, the interim director general, Theunis Crous, decided to terminate his duties.
- Américo Muchanga was yesterday dismissed from his position as Chaiman of Empresa Aeroportos de Moçambique.
The Board of Directors of Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique has elected Américo Muchanga as its Chairman, LAM announced this Wednesday in a statement.
Américo Muchanga, who was dismissed yesterday from the position of chairman of Mozambique Airports, will replace Theunis Christian de Klerk Crous, who had held the role on an interim basis since February, as part of the removal of João Carlos Pó Jorge and LAM’s restructuring process, which is being managed by Fly Modern Ark (FMA), a South African company contracted to recover the flag airline.
Américo Muchanga had held the position of president of Mozambique Airports since February 2022.
Fly Modern Ark has been managing LAM since April last year, with a restructuring plan underway.
LAM’s revitalization strategy follows years of operational problems related to a small fleet and lack of investment, with the record of some non-fatal incidents, associated by experts with poor aircraft maintenance.
During the FMA management period, the South African company trying to recover LAM reported money embezzlement schemes, with losses of at least almost three million euros, in ticket sales outlets, through payment terminal machines. automatic (TPA/POS) that are not from the company.
READ: Mozambique: LAM no longer bankrupt – Watch
Mozambique’s Central Anti-Corruption Office (GCCC) opened a case to investigate the allegations of corruption schemes in the sale of tickets by the Mozambican air carrier and in the management of the company’s fleet.
“To this case, the participation sent by the company was added, in its duty to collaborate with justice, as well as that sent to the Public Prosecutor of the city of Maputo, as it was incompetent in the matter”, a source linked to the process told Lusa, at the time.
In January 2023, the GCCC had already opened a case to investigate allegations about the management of the fleet, namely, the sale of aircraft, their rental, the company’s debt for the acquisition of new equipment and maintenance operations.
The casealso focuses on hiring suppliers, legitimacy of invoicing paid and the sale of the company’s social assets.
The GCCC requested the General Inspectorate of Finance and the General Inspectorate of Public Administration to carry out audits of LAM’s management accounts, the reports of which it is still awaiting, the source said.
READ: Mozambique: Anti-corruption office investigates LAM – AIM report
In addition to Mozambique, the alleged facts under investigation “occurred in five foreign jurisdictions, which required the use of international cooperation to obtain evidence”, added the GCCC.
Following complaints about alleged corruption in the sale of LAM tickets, the Institute for the Management of State Holdings (IGEPE), an entity that manages the State’s business sector in Mozambique, announced that it wants to see the alleged embezzlement and acts of internal sabotage investigated. and asked for an investigation by the Public Ministry.
LAM operates 12 destinations in the domestic market, regionally it regularly flies to Johannesburg, Dar-Es-Salaam, Harare, Lusaka, and Cape Town, and Lisbon is the only intercontinental destination.
READ: Government replaces chairpersons of Airports of Mozambique, INCM and INATRO