Mozambique’s President, Daniel Chapo, has promulgated the Cybersecurity Law and the Cybercrime Law, aimed at safeguarding citizens, the State and data protection, with penalties for offences reaching up to 160 minimum wages.
In a statement, the Presidency said the Mozambican head of state promulgated the Cybersecurity Law, which seeks to guarantee the security of citizens, institutions and the State, while ensuring the protection of data communication networks, information systems and critical infrastructure in cyberspace.
In the same decree, President Chapo also promulgated the Cybercrime Law, which strengthens the prevention, investigation and punishment of crimes committed in the digital sphere in Mozambique.
Both laws were previously approved by the Mozambican parliament. The government had explained that the Cybersecurity Law provides for the creation of a regulatory body to oversee compliance and sanction violations with penalties of up to 160 minimum wages, while ensuring the security of the State, networks and information systems.
In its justification for the legislation, the government acknowledged the growing challenges posed by the digital environment, arguing that concrete measures are needed to address emerging threats.
“Given the transnational nature and rapid evolution of cybercrime, the country has experienced an increase in offences related to computer forgery, computer fraud, abuse of electronic payment instruments, online fraud and communications fraud, unlawful recordings, unauthorised access, violation of correspondence, email compromise, digital extortion, theft of utilities and invasion of privacy,” the document states.
The government argued that the law will protect the State and its institutions, citizens, information systems, data communication networks and critical infrastructure, ensuring a secure, reliable and resilient cyberspace while creating a safe digital environment capable of attracting foreign investment and stimulating e-commerce.
In a separate decree, the Mozambican president also promulgated the National Payments System Law and the revised Statute of the Order of Accountants and Auditors of Mozambique (OCAM), both of which had previously been approved by parliament.
“The National Payments System Law aims to strengthen prevention and supervisory capacity, ensuring the security, efficiency and integrity of financial operations in the country, while updating the legal framework governing the system to reflect developments that have occurred over the years and introducing mechanisms to enhance transparency in its organisation and operation,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Revised Statute of the Order of Accountants and Auditors
The revision of the Statute of the Order of Accountants and Auditors of Mozambique (OCAM), approved by parliament in March, introduces changes to the organisation’s operations and internal electoral processes in response to the growth in membership.
In presenting the justification for the revision, Cernilde Muchanga, Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Commission on Planning and Budget, noted that Mozambique’s legal framework has undergone profound reforms in several areas of economic and financial law, including changes to the legal regime governing state-owned enterprises, the modernisation of the Commercial Code, and the development of legal frameworks for commercial contracts and credit instruments.
“In this new context, maintaining the Statute approved in 2012 unchanged would mean requiring an institution that today represents thousands of professionals to continue operating under a regulatory framework designed for a very different institutional reality. It would condemn an institution that is essential to the credibility of the economic system to function with legal instruments that are no longer suited to its time,” she said.
The Commission justified the revision on the grounds of the Order’s expanding membership, which has grown from 300 members in 2012 to more than 5,000 this year.
Source: Lusa
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