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Manuel Chang, pictured on the Kempton Park Justice of the Peace’s court docket in 2019.
- Manuel Chang faces fees linked to Mozambique’s largest corruption scandal.
- Chang was arrested in 2018 and has been in a South African jail for over two years.
- Each US and Mozambican authorities have requested Chang’s extradition.
After greater than two years in a Gauteng jail, South Africa will hand Mozambique’s former finance minister over to authorities in Maputo.
The Ministry of Justice and Correctional Companies mentioned in an announcement on Monday that Manuel Chang could be extradited to Maputo the place he’ll face fees linked to Mozambique’s largest corruption scandal in historical past.
Chang is accused of signing off on ensures that led to the so-called hidden debt scandal, partly authorising loans of over $2 billion (greater than R30.5 billion) between 2013 and 2014.
Chang will now be part of 19 different individuals charged with corruption in a trial that started on Monday.
EXPLAINER | The $2bn Mozambique corruption trial – with an SA hyperlink – lastly heads to court docket
Minister Ronald Lamola had beforehand delayed extraditing the previous minister to Mozambique, over considerations that he loved authorized immunity as a former member of parliament. Chang faces fees of abuse of energy, fraud, embezzlement, cash laundering, and corruption.
“Because the info stand now, the accused shouldn’t be immune from prosecution and has been duly indicted by the Mozambican authorities,” Lamola’s spokesperson Chrispin Phiri mentioned in an announcement.
Chang was arrested on 27 December 2018 at OR Tambo Worldwide Airport on his strategy to Dubai, and has remained in custody ever since resulting from authorized and political wrangling.
READ | Manuel Chang: Over 2 years in SA custody, justice minister nonetheless mum about his destiny
South African police arrested him on a warrant issued by the USA, on allegations of conspiracy to commit fraud and taking hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in bribes. US prosecutors have already arrested and tried three bankers from Credit score Suisse for facilitating the loans.
A 2019, a US extradition request was placed on maintain after Mozambican authorities requested Chang’s extradition on the identical time. In Could that 12 months, former justice minister Michael Masutha agreed to ship Chang to Maputo, however quickly after taking on the ministry, Lamola halted the choice.
Ronald Lamola.
Son Equipped
Lamola sought a Excessive Courtroom intervention, which dominated that that Chang could be immune from prosecution as a member of parliament. It’s understood that Mozambican authorities sought to attraction that ruling, however by no means adopted via, mentioned Phiri.
As an alternative, Mozambique’s authorities stripped Chang of his immunity later that 12 months. In Could final 12 months, Mozambique’s lawyer basic wrote to Lamola, saying prosecutors had sufficient proof “to sentence Chang and his co-accused.”
READ | Govt nonetheless quiet about extradition of Mozambique’s former finance minister Manuel Chang
Regardless of this and Lamola’s choice, the matter was in limbo for an additional 12 months. The delay pointed to political rigidity, as pro-Frelimo officers are believed to have leaned on Lamola to keep away from sending Chang to the US.
Chang’s legal professionals declined to use for bail, saying they didn’t consider their consumer could be granted short-term freedom. As an alternative, he has remained in Modderbee Jail.
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In 2019, a US federal court docket obtained a grand jury indictment in opposition to Chang and 7 others, together with the three Credit score Suisse bankers. The three – Andrew Pearse, Detelina Subeva and Surjan Singh – took a plea discount, with all of them admitted to taking bribes. They haven’t but been sentenced.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Basis. The tales produced via the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that could be contained herein don’t replicate these of Hanns Seidel Basis.
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