KARYN MAUGHAN: SA caught between a rock and hard place in Manuel Chang’s case
Mozambique and US have applied for the extradition of former finance minister Chang but the decision lies with the court and not the government
In a small courtroom in Kempton Park, a big extradition battle is playing out — one that could have profound implications for SA — both legally and politically. For the first time in SA’s history its courts and the government are being asked to consider two different extradition requests, from two different countries, for the same man: former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang. Chang is wanted by authorities in both Mozambique and the USfor financial crimes totaling $2bn. If the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court decides one or both countries have made a case for Chang’s extradition, it will ultimately be up to justice minister Michael Masutha to decide whether to sign off on either, or neither. The stakes attached to that decision are extremely high. Chang is a pivotal player in an alleged embezzlement and corruption scandal that nearly destroyed Mozambique’s fragile economy. According to assistant US attorney Mark Bini, the US case against Chang arose from anFBI case “which rev...
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