Hidden debts: Chang wants Ramaphosa to decide on extradition

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Hidden debts: Chang wants Ramaphosa to decide on extradition

3:00 CAT | 19 Mar 2019

Former Finance Minister Manuel Chang is accused of financial crimes in the so-called "hidden debts" case. File photo: DW

The decision on the extradition of Manuel Chang was again postponed to March 26. Lawyers have asked the South African president to decide between US and Mozambican claims.

There has been a further postponement in the case of Manuel Chang in South Africa. Defence lawyers for the former Mozambican finance minister no longer want the South African justice minister to decide between the extradition requests made by the United States of America and Mozambique, but instead President Cyril Ramaphosa himself.

Manuel Chang’s lawyer, Rudi Krause, asked the Director-General of Public Prosecutions to give the final word to President Ramaphosa. “We want the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide [in favour of] that, and we are of the opinion that this decision must be taken now,” he said.

This is the answer of the Chang’s defence team to the public prosecutor, who reiterated this Monday in court that the South African justice organs must decide on the extradition requests.

SÃ¼dafrika - neuer PrÃ¤sident Cyril Ramaphosa — *South African President Cyril Ramaphosa*

Prosecution opposed

Manuel Chang has been detained in South Africa since the end of December under accusations of financial crimes. The former Mozambican minister was detained at the request of the United States, but Mozambique then also requested his extradition.

Chang’s defence says the South African head of state who must decide on the matter, but South Africa’s public prosecutor, Dean Barnard, asked the judge on Monday (18.03) to reject the request to hand the decision on the extradition of the former Mozambican minister over to the government.

“In summary, I will say that the person for whom extradition is requested by a foreign country must be brought before a judge dealing with extradition cases, and the judge will determine whether the person is eligible. This is what is stipulated by law,” he said.

New date

Monday’s hearing in Johannesburg was scheduled for the presentation of the arguments from the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the defence, after Chang’s lawyer had pleaded irregularities in the decision of Judge William Schutte, who ruled that the US extradition request would be heard first, to the detriment of the Mozambican.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office argues that logic and common sense gave priority to the US request because it was the first to be received, and also because the accused was arrested on an arrest warrant issued by the US justice system.

The decision on extradition has now been postponed to next Tuesday, March 26.

Asked about the case, the new security attaché to the High Commissioner of Mozambique in South Africa, General Abel Nuno, stressed that “the lawyers are fulfilling their roles”.

“We, as a Mozambican authority [are] playing our part, following the whole outline of this problem, alongside our citizen. In spite of everything, he remains our citizen and we have the obligation to give him all due support,” he added.

Source: Deutsche Welle