“Perhaps Mozambique is not prepared to deal with this case” – CIP researcher

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“Perhaps Mozambique is not prepared to deal with this case” – CIP researcher

4:34 CAT | 10 Nov 2020

File photo: AFP

Mozambique’s Attorney General’s Office (PGR) has, for the first time, formalised an indictment against Manuel Chang. The case is now in court. But CIP analyst Borges Nhamire thinks that “Mozambique is not prepared to deal with this case”.

The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) this Monday (09-11) sent to the Maputo City Judicial Court an autonomous case on the ‘hidden debts’ in which ex-minister Manuel Chang and three other defendants are accused. This is the first formal charge in Mozambique against Chang, who has been detained in South Africa since 2018, there awaiting a decision on his extradition.

In an interview with DW, Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) researcher Borges Nhamire says that Chang has been “finally charged over his involvement in the hidden debts case”, but thinks that Mozambique “is not prepared to deal with the case”.

Bnh.dw_-1 — *FILE – Borges Nhamirre, researcher at CIP. [File photo: DW]*

DW Africa: What does this first stand-alone process represent for the hidden debts case ?

Borges Nhamire (BN): Manuel Chang has finally been charged with crimes related to his involvement in the hidden debt scandal. And if you ask any Mozambican today, you would think that Manuel Chang already stood accused. The big surprise is that, since Chang was arrested in 2018 in South Africa, there has still been no charge against him. There is this accusation at last, but not much changes in practical terms. What Mozambicans most expect to hear is whether Manuel Chang will be extradited to the United States, where the first charge occurred, or extradited to Mozambique.

Another novelty is that there are people linked to the Bank of Mozambique, former employees, who are also accused, but of a very light crime of abuse of office, which – in terms of current criminal law in Mozambique – are crimes which do not carry a jail sentence.

DW Africa: But can this process mean the outcome of Manuel Chang’s extradition process to Mozambique?

BN: It may mean that, finally, Mozambique has formal reasons to seek Manuel Chang’s extradition. So far, if you recall, Chang’s extradition to Mozambique has been nullified by South Africa because there was no charge against the former minister over the hidden debts. So, finally, this indictment now exists. But even so, this is not the end. What happened today is that the PGR submitted an indictment to the court. Now the court has yet to decide whether to actually prosecute Manuel Chang or not. The court still has to issue what is called an “indictment order.” If the court issues that order, that is the document that Mozambique can take to South Africa and say that the former minister is accused in a Mozambican court. He is not yet indicted before any [Mozambican] court.

DW Africa: How does civil society evaluate this new PGR step, and what do you expect?

BN: We hope that the PGR tries [in court] those who are [already] here. We do not agree that the entire process, with more than two dozen defendants, is stalled because one of the defendants is being held abroad. We argue that the trial should proceed and that, should Manuel Chang be extradited to Mozambique, he be included in the trial. If he is extradited to the United States, he will be tried there as well.

What the PGR has said is that there has been some progress on the part of South Africa and other countries that are cooperating in making information available. Therefore, finally, the PGR formally charged Manuel Chang, and referred the provisional charge to the court. But the United States did this a long time ago. This shows that, perhaps, Mozambique is not prepared to deal with this case. It may be [due to] lack of information [about the case], it may be [due to] another reason, but it shows that Mozambique is not prepared.

Source: Deutsche Welle