In her Annual Report presentation to the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique broadcast on national television, the Attorney General of Mozambique, Beatriz Buchili, emphasised the need for approval of a new Asset Recovery Bill.

This important law will provide Mozambique with more effective ways to recover stolen assets. It also establishes the new Mozambican Asset Recovery Office and Asset Management Office.

Last week’s blog about corruption risks in natural disaster situations triggered some interesting feedback. Many observers are seeing the same as I am in the international response to the covid-19 pandemic – namely, that there are striking similarities with the response to earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters in the past.

“Unprecedented” comes up again and again in commentaries on covid-19. But as I listen to more of my colleagues’ and other experts’ reflections on corruption in relation to the pandemic, it strikes me that we’ve seen many of the same features and corruption risks before.

Following the financial trail is a daunting task, said Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), at the start of a scoping mission by the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR).

But, she continued, although asset recovery is complex and reliant on international cooperation, it is the most effective way to curb corruption.