The delay in the trial of former Finance Minister Manuel Chang is hampering the progress of the case in Mozambique, the Attorney General said today in Parliament.

According to Beatriz Buchili, the decision by the South African authorities to extradite Manuel Chang to the United States of America (USA) has frustrated Mozambique's expectations.

During the presentation of the PGR's annual report, he recalled that Chang has been detained for more than five years, at the request of the US authorities, and was extradited about a year ago to the US, where he still remains without trial, "although they claimed to have all the evidence, including the indictment".

"This situation continues to jeopardize the development of the process in Mozambique and undermines the most basic rights of citizens deprived of their liberty, as set out in the constitutions of the states involved and in international human rights conventions," he said.

Manuel Chang was arrested by Interpol in South Africa on his way to Dubai during the December 2018 vacations, when he was still a member of parliament for Frelimo. He is identified as one of the main figures who orchestrated Mozambique's biggest financial default, which resulted in the guarantee of loans to three state-owned companies, Empresa Moçambicana de Atum (EMATUM), ProIndicus and Mozambique Asset Management (MAM).