Just in: South African court rejects Mozambican request to appeal Chang case

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Just in: South African court rejects Mozambican request to appeal Chang case

1:42 CAT | 11 Dec 2019

Photo: O País

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg today rejected a request from the Mozambique government for a higher South African court to uphold the extradition of former minister Manuel Chang to Mozambique.

“After hearing and considering the parties’ arguments, this court came to the conclusion that there is no reasonable prospect of another court finding a different conclusion,” Judge Colin Lamont announced.

“Therefore, the request to appeal is rejected,” the South African curt ruled.

Judge Lamont, along with Judges Denise Fisher and Edwin Molahehi today heard, at the High Court in Johannesburg, brief arguments by the Mozambican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the South African Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, on the Maputo request.

Mozambique disputes this very same panel’s ruling of November 1 ordering the South African government to review the extradition of Manuel Chang, arrested about a year ago in South Africa at the request of the United States, which wants to put the former Mozambican finance minister on trial in the United States for fraud and international corruption.

Speaking to Lusa at the end of the hearing, attorney Sami Modiba said that Mozambique would appeal today’s ruling at the South African Supreme Court of Appeal.

“This decision was already anticipated, because this court is the same which pronounced the sentence (November 1), but this is not the end of the case. We will ask the Supreme Court of Appeal directly for leave to appeal,” he said.

Sami Modiba, who is representing the Mozambican state, told Lusa that this submission would be made in January and, in this regard, an identical notification was also submitted last November to the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

Manuel Chang, 62, has been detained in Modderbee Prison outside Johannesburg since December 29 last year at the request of the US, the first extradition claimant for Manuel Chang.

The former Mozambican finance minister, who was arrested at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on his way to Dubai, is awaiting trial in a New York court for fraud, corruption and money laundering.

Manuel Chang’s arrest and US extradition request are related to his role in providing financial guarantees from the Mozambican government for loans to public maritime security and fishing companies Ematum, Proindicus and MAM, without the knowledge of the Assembly of the Republic and the Administrative Tribunal of Mozambique.

Source: Lusa