MDM thanks USA for hidden debts investigation

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MDM thanks USA for hidden debts investigation

12:10 CAT | 11 Jan 2019

in file CoM

The Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) on Thursday addressed a “thank you letter” to the United States embassy for the advances in the investigation into Mozambique’s ‘hidden debts’, which culminated in the detention in South Africa of former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang.

“We have addressed a letter of thanks to the United States,” MDM spokesman Augusto Pelembe said in Maputo. “The MDM wants to thank them, and we want them to extradite this individual.”

Former Mozambique minister of finance Manuel Chang, was arrested on December 29 in South Africa under an international arrest warrant issued by the United States following an investigation into the process of borrowing more than EUR2,000 million in favour of public Mozambican companies Proindicus, MAM and Ematum.

Mozambique’s third-largest political party says the Mozambican people should not pay the debts, since it considers it proven that the process of borrowing the money was fraudulent.

“We call on the parliament and the international community to help us with debts from the state budget,” said Pelembe.

To deliver the letter to the US embassy, the MDM organised a march touching on Maputo’s main landmarks on the approach to the US embassy, but police intercepted the group and forced the members to disperse.

Lusa contacted a Mozambican police spokesman in Maputo, Orlando Modumana, who said he had not heard of the case.

In addition to Manuel Chang, three Credit Suisse former bankers have been detained in London and a Lebanese Privinvest intermediary at New York airport.

The investigation concerns the contracting of loans of more than two billion dollars in favour of public enterprises Proindicus, MAM and Ematum, created for the maritime safety and fishing and guaranteed by the previous Mozambican government without the approval of the Assembly of the Republic, precipitating a debt crisis in the country and the cutting of direct donor support to the State Budget.

Source: O País