03 November 2019 - 17:47Mozambique’s former finance minister Manuel Chang appears in court during an extradition hearing in Johannesburg on January 8 2019. Picture: REUTERS/SHAFIEK TASSIEM
“The US would like to thank the SA ministry of justice for its diligent work in pursuing this case and stands prepared to offer more information to the Republic of SA as necessary to move forward,” said Mearkle. The loans, to companies controlled by the Mozambican government, were meant to fund maritime projects in the impoverished country, ranked number six in Global Finance magazine’s 2019 report on the poorest countries in the world.
At the request of the US government, Chang was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport when he was about to fly to Dubai in December 2018. On January 29 2019 the US government submitted a request to SA for Chang’s extradition to the US. This was followed by a similar request from the Mozambican government on February 1.Chang, a MP at the time of his arrest, wants to be extradited to Mozambique.