Brasília, 31 October 2022 - The National Secretariat for Drug Policy and Asset Management of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (SENAD/MJSP) received, from 24 to 28 October, representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Mozambique, with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil. The technical meetings aimed to promote the exchange of knowledge to improve Mozambique's response to transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism.
Aiming to assist member states strengthen their approach to criminal justice and integrity, UNODC has supported Mozambique and other countries in the region to reduce corruption, strengthen institutions, improve effectiveness of investigations and prosecution, and promote access to justice, fair trial and implementation of criminal sanctions, ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups. In addition, UNODC seeks to support Mozambique in areas such as combating trafficking in persons, actions and policies on drug supply, such as developing evidence and projects to guide public policies to reduce the supply of illicit drugs.
During the visit, the Mozambican delegation met with officials from the Brazilian government to learn about the national system for managing goods seized in operations arising from drug trafficking and related crimes in the country, such as cars, planes and jewelry.
In addition, the delegation was presented with the processes related to issues such as construction of legislation for the management of recovered assets, conducting auctions and management of resources generated from the seizures. Other aspects of public policies for the reduction of supply and demand for drugs were also addressed, as well as the implementation of partnerships for the development of research and studies on drug trafficking and organized crime.
At the opening of the meeting, the Director of Asset Management at SENAD, Giovanni Magliano, addressed the Secretariat’s history on asset management and explained the process to sustain the virtuous circle for the reduction of drug supply. "What we do here is decapitalize crime, from the moment it loses an asset to the State, it has only one destination: to return to society as investment. Whether in sending items to security forces, utilizing resources for infrastructure improvement or making use of seized real estate assets," he emphasized.
UNODC Brazil Representative, Elena Abbati, highlighted the importance of technical cooperation and how UNODC acts as a facilitator for this exchange of experiences.
In one of the activities of the technical visit, the Centre of Excellence for Drug Supply Reduction (CoE), a project resulting from a partnership among SENAD/MJSP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNODC, presented studies and analyses that are produced on trends and threats of illicit drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
For the head of the delegation, Albertina Fumane, director of the Mozambican government's Asset Management Office, the meeting was productive, generating ideas, exchanges and knowledge that can be adapted to the country's reality. "I particularly highlight what we saw about asset management and the fact that in a short period of time, i.e. from 2019 to 2022, Brazil managed to change the context and implement strategies that have visible results, which show quite significant advances in the area," she stressed.
