Mozambique also makes request for Chang’s extradition

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Mozambique also makes request for Chang’s extradition

9:16 CAT | 17 Jan 2019

in file CoM

Mozambican authorities have requested the extradition of former Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang after a similar request was made by the United States, the defence lawyer has told Lusa in an interview.

“There was a development last week in which the Mozambican authorities also requested the transfer of Manuel Chang to the Republic of Mozambique and so it will be interesting to see how the South African authorities will react as they received two requests from two states for the extradition of Chang,” said Rudi Krause, Chang’s lead lawyer.

Chang returns to the Kempton Park court in eastern Johannesburg on Friday to be heard on a US extradition request for his involvement in the operation of hidden debts believed to have violated the economic and financial law.

The former finance minister was detained in South Africa on December 29 while in transit to Dubai, where three former Credit Swisse officials and a Privinvest officer were detained.

Privinvest was the supplier of the equipment purchased with part of the money from the loans endorsed by the Mozambican government on the margins of parliament.

“On the basis of the request of the Mozambican authorities, it is evident that the Government of Mozambique has instructed its own process, that the Attorney General is in advanced stage in the process that has developed under Mozambican law and is clear in the petition presented by the Mozambican authorities that they require his presence in Mozambique to ensure that the Mozambican judicial process may have the opportunity to proceed,” Krause told Lusa.

“I think the South African authorities now have to decide which of the two countries – the United States or Mozambique – will extradite Chang.”

On Chang’s extradition, the lawyer of the former Mozambican governor and current member of parliament in the ruling party FRELIMO which has been in power since 1975, pointed out that the South African state opposes bail-out at the request of the US authorities.

“We postponed the matter to review some of the judge’s decisions and the bail issue,” he said.

“The South African court cannot oppose its extradition, the court has to decide whether it is subject to extradition and the director of South Africa’s public prosecutions will have to present evidence to that effect in court.”

Asked about bail conditions, Krause explained that “the South African state has not suggested any amount” and is of the opinion that Chang should not have bail.

“There was a court testimony that the US authorities consider that there is a risk of escape, so they are opposed to his conditional release on bail,” he said.

Without preempting the arguments he will present in court, Krause considered that Chang “is not a person extraditable to the United States”.

“If he is not extradited to the United States, he will have the right to return to his home country. South Africa has no other interest in this subject than to deal with the request for his extradition presented by the United States and also by Mozambique, and in this circumstance, if he is not extradited, he will have the freedom to return to Mozambique,” said Krause.

“There will be no final decision tomorrow, it is a provisional date, the submissions have not yet been made…because there are also these two competitive requests for their delivery and so it will be highly improbable a final decision of the court,” concluded the South African lawyer.

Source: Lusa