
Former Mozambican Finance Minister Resubmits South African Bail Application: Lawyer, By Reuters
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang, who was arrested in South Africa related to $2 billion in fraudulent loans, has filed an urgent bail application, according to one of his lawyers.
Chang, who maintains his innocence, has been in custody in South Africa since December 29. He had previously withdrawn his bail request due to competing extradition demands from both the United States and Mozambique.
He is sought by both nations in connection with loans that were secured by the Mozambican government but not reported to the public, which were approved during his tenure as finance minister from 2005 to 2015.
Stiaan Krause, Chang’s lawyer, expressed to Reuters that the defense team contends that he should be granted bail as he is unlikely to be extradited, thus not posing a flight risk. "We have no reason to flee," Krause remarked, indicating that they are unconcerned about the U.S. extradition request.
The state prosecutor handling the case is prohibited from discussing details with the media, and the relevant spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority was unavailable for immediate comment.
Chang’s bail application is being addressed in a separate proceedings from an ongoing case in a Johannesburg court, which is evaluating how to approach the competing extradition requests from the U.S. and Mozambique.
Krause stated that a ruling on the bail application is anticipated by February 15.