MAPUTO, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Former president of Mozambique Armando Guebuza told the court Thursday that he assumed responsibility for the creation of the companies EMATUM and MAM, which were later involved in the "hidden debts" scandal.
Armando Guebuza spoke at the 6th session of the court hearing, which took place in a maximum-security prison in the province of Maputo, as a declarant listed by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
"As Commander-in-Chief, I decided to create the Tuna (EMATUM) and MAM (Mozambique Asset Management) companies, and I assume responsibility for having created them for protection of the exclusive economic zone (ZEE)," said Guebuza.
The failure of the project with state guarantees culminated in an undeclared debt of more than 2.2 billion U.S. dollars.
"The decision to seek resources was taken by me," said Guebuza.
When the hearing took place Thursday morning, unidentified men tried to sabotage the electrical systems of the facility, with shootings that left marks on the prison's gate. ■