News update below...

The former Finance Minister, Manuel Chang, has already been transferred to the United States of America (USA), where he will have to answer for his alleged involvement in contracting debts without the approval of parliament and donors.

O mozambiqueinsightsA source familiar with the matter said that information about his transfer is still scarce, but for now it is known that Chang is being held in custody in a New York prison.

Chang's transfer may be what prompted his lawyer, Ford O'Brien, to file a motion to dismiss the charges against Chang. The defense's initiative is seen as a strategy to force the court's hand. The basis of the motion is the fact that Chang has spent more than four years in a South African prison, and the defense would like to use this to reduce his sentence if convicted, reads the news report.

It would be interesting to know who is paying Chang's legal fees, since O'Brien is a very expensive New York lawyer, writes the portal.

For the rest, this is what has been written in the media for several years:

[we reproduce the source text]

Chang was arrested in December 2018 at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, on his way to Dubai, following an arrest warrant from the US, which led to a long extradition battle between Mozambique and the US, which ended when, on May 25, 2023, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled in favor of the US.

The US has indicted Chang for his role in the 2.2 billion dollar "hidden debt" scandal that three Mozambican companies obtained from the banks Credit Suisse and VTB Russia, with the sole contractor and supplier, the Abu Dhabi-based Privinvest group, selling them fishing boats, military equipment, radar stations and other assets at excessively inflated prices between 2013 and 2014.

As Finance Minister, Chang signed loan guarantees, committing the government to pay the banks if the companies defaulted, which they eventually did.

Update...

Updated and shared information by a source, which quotes a source consulted by SavanaIn an interview with the South African media, they say that the former Finance Minister, Manuel Chang, is still in the custody of the South African justice system, "awaiting further proceedings". This latest information contradicts the source quoted above.

With all said and unsaid, the suspense over the real whereabouts of the former Finance Minister, Manuel Chang, who is accused of taking part in the Hidden Debts, remains.

We're still on the lookout.... [Updated at 19:52]