Former Mozambique finance minister is extradited to the US to face trial over $2 billion scandal

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former Mozambique finance minister Manuel Chang has been extradited to the U.S. to face a fraud and corruption trial over a $2 billion scandal involving fraudulent government loans. That’s according to the South African government on Wednesday. Chang has been held in a South Africa prison since December 2018, when he was arrested on a U.S. warrant on his way to the United Arab Emirates. He is accused of receiving bribes of up to $17 million during a scheme that secured loans for Mozambican state-owned companies from foreign banks and financiers for maritime projects. The money was looted through kickbacks and other corrupt dealings, according to U.S. prosecutors.