JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's new justice minister will apply to have his predecessor's decision to extradite former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang to his home country set aside, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The document - an affidavit served on behalf of the new justice minister, Ronald Lamola, that has not yet been filed in court - said Lamola did not oppose the campaigners' application and intended to apply to set aside Masutha's decision for review. Reasons included a concern that Chang's political immunity in Mozambique had not yet been revoked, and that information at the time of the previous minister's decision indicated Chang had not been formally indicted in Mozambique, the document said. It added that the new minister wanted an opportunity to consider whether Chang could be extradited to the United States.
Analysts say a US prosecution of the former minister could lift the lid on as-yet unknown details of the debt affair with potential implications for senior members of Mozambique's ruling party ahead of elections in October.