The South African government has reiterated that it will abide by the Constitutional Court's decision to extradite former Mozambican Finance Minister Manuel Chang, who has been detained in South Africa since 2018 at Washington's request, to the United States.

According to a notification sent to the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, to which Lusa has had access, it states that the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Ronald Lamola, "will abide by the decision" of the court to extradite the former Mozambican ruler to stand trial in the US in the so-called case of the hidden debts of 2.7 billion dollars secretly contracted in Mozambique.

"I am pleased to inform you that the third respondent [Justice Minister Ronald Lamola] will abide by the decision of the above honorable Court in counter-application," reads the notification submitted to the Constitutional Court of South Africa in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. The document consulted by Lusa is dated March 23, 2023.

Meanwhile, ministerial spokesman Chris Piri declined to confirm whether the South African government had already extradited the former Mozambican finance minister to the US.

According to the Constitutional Court's order dated May 24, 2023, to which Lusa had access, the former Mozambican ruler must be handed over and extradited to the United States of America to stand trial for alleged crimes in that country, as stated in the extradition request dated January 28, 2019.

Manuel Chang, 63, was arrested on December 29, 2018 at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, en route to Dubai, on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by the US on December 27, for his alleged involvement in the so-called hidden debt case.