JOHANNESBURG, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The extradition of former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang to his home country has been blocked pending a court hearing after a local civil society organisation objected, a South African court order showed on Wednesday.
Chang has been in a South African prison since he was arrested in 2018 at the request of the United States, where he was wanted in relation to his alleged role in a $2 billion debt scandal that crashed Mozambique’s economy. Mozambique subsequently also requested his extradition.
South Africa’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola decided on Monday to return him to Mozambique.
But now he has “made an undertaking that (Chang) will not be extradited” until judgement is handed down in a court hearing due to take place on Friday, a court document shared by his ministry said.
Chang’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The hearing will deal with the first part of an application by the Mozambique Budget Monitoring Forum (FMO), a coalition of local civil society organisations, to block Chang’s extradition until its arguments against it can be heard.
If given that chance, the FMO will argue Chang should be extradited to the United States because an arrest warrant has not been issued in Mozambique and because Lamola’s decision was unconstitutional and out of line with South Africa’s obligations to ensure accountability for corruption, court documents show.
Campaigners say Chang is more likely to receive a proper trial in the United States. His testimony could have implications for Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party as a number of its former senior officials are accused in the debt scandal.
The affair relates to $2 billion of state-backed lending ostensibly raised for a project spanning tuna fishing, shipyard development and maritime security. Hundreds of millions of dollars went missing, including as kickbacks, authorities say, while many promised benefits never materialised.
Mozambique did not disclose all of the loans to its parliament or donors, including the International Monetary Fund. When the full extent of the borrowing was revealed, donors cut off support and its currency collapsed. (Reporting by Emma Rumney; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Source: reuters.com
