October 17, 2019 - 5:07 AM
JOHANNESBURG - Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang will remain behind bars in South Africa while awaiting judgment in an extradition case related to his country's $2 billion debt scandal.
Chang was arrested in South Africa last year on corruption charges and is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States to face trial.
His legal team and the Mozambican government argued in a South African court Thursday that Mozambique's legal system can effectively prosecute him.
But lawyers for South Africa's government argue that Mozambique has not shown eagerness to prosecute him.
Companies set up by Mozambique's secret services and the defence ministry secretly borrowed $2 billion to set up projects that never materialized but allegedly enriched local and foreign players.
The scandal has hurt the southern African nation's economy.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019