Mozambique's Minister of Justice, Constitutional and Religious Affairs, Mateus Saize, confirmed on Friday that Manuel Chang has returned to Mozambique after serving a sentence in the United States in connection with the hidden debts case, while stating that he does not know whether domestic proceedings will be pursued against the former finance minister.
"He is in Mozambique, yes, and we know that he served his sentence in the United States and returned to his country of origin. Should there be any pending matters at the judiciary level, it will be up to the judicial bodies to update us on the state of play," the minister said, officially confirming Chang's return to the country for the first time.
Saize was responding to questions from journalists on the sidelines of a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a multipurpose building for registration and notarial services in the city of Quelimane, in the central province of Zambezia.
The minister declined to comment on any possible proceedings against the former official, referring the matter to the judicial authorities.
"Any question related to judicial proceedings will have to be answered by the judicial bodies, and we have no information on the progress or setbacks of this process," Mateus Saize said.
Chang was never tried in Mozambique in connection with the case.
In early April, Manuel Chang left the custody of US authorities and was deported to Mozambique, seven years after being detained in South Africa and subsequently convicted in the United States over the hidden debts scandal, which was uncovered in 2016 and is estimated at US$2.7 billion, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Manuel Chang was sentenced to 102 months in prison — the equivalent of eight and a half years — for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the hidden debts case.
The sentence was significantly reduced due to administrative credits granted by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which took into account time already served in pre-trial detention and credits arising from good behaviour during imprisonment. Those credits reduced the effective prison term to approximately 14 months.
Chang was accused of accepting bribes and conspiring to misappropriate funds from Mozambique's efforts to protect and expand its natural gas and fishing industries, as part of a scheme to enrich himself and defraud investors.
In April, the Public Prosecutor's Office revealed that it had requested US courts to issue a certified copy of Chang's sentence in order to prevent him from being tried for crimes for which he had already been convicted.
According to Attorney General Américo Letela, Chang was indicted on 27 March 2023 by the Maputo City Judicial Court on charges of violation of budgetary legality, criminal association, passive corruption for an illicit act, abuse of office or function, embezzlement, and money laundering. The case is awaiting further steps following the assessment of the US sentence.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/08/08/desenvolvimento-2/governo-confirma-regresso-de-manuel-chang-e-remete-futuro-judicial-para-os-tribunais/
