Fresh probe into funding scandal

The US Justice Department and FBI are investigating the role of three banks – Swiss bank Credit Suisse, Russian bank VTB and French bank BNP Paribas – in the $2bn Mozambique secret debt scandal. A report on the allAfrica site notes that the FBI is looking at whether the banks facilitated improper payments to senior Mozambican officials, and the Justice Department is also examining whether the banks helped Mozambican officials borrow more than the country could repay. Authorities in the US, UK and Switzerland are also investigating possible security law violations and money laundering. An IMF delegation is expected in Maputo this month to address the matter.