The defense of former Finance Minister Manuel Chang has requested the intervention of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York to expedite his deportation to Mozambique, following a delay caused by issues related to a planned stopover in Lisbon, which prevented his repatriation on the initially scheduled date, as reported by Lusa.
According to a motion submitted to Judge Nicholas Garaufis, the lawyers are asking the court to order the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately coordinate the deportation process, as well as to clarify any additional documentation requirements. In the same filing, the defense stresses the need to ensure medical assistance for the defendant while he remains in U.S. custody.
Manuel Chang was supposed to be released on March 26, 2026, from the federal correctional facility in Danbury after serving the sentence imposed in connection with the hidden debts case. Ahead of that date, his lawyers had coordinated with ICE on the necessary procedures to ensure his immediate deportation to Maputo, relying on an emergency travel document issued by the Mozambican embassy in Washington and validated by U.S. authorities.
A flight ticket had also been purchased for a Boston–Lisbon–Maputo itinerary, operated by TAP Air Portugal. However, at the time of boarding, Chang was prevented from traveling due to the lack of approval of the transit document by Portuguese authorities responsible for the Lisbon stopover.
As a result, the former official remains detained at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts under ICE custody, while efforts continue to resolve the impasse. The defense states that, despite contacts with government representatives, it has not yet been possible to carry out the deportation or obtain clear clarification on the missing requirements.
The motion also highlights Manuel Chang’s health condition, noting that he suffers from chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, and alleges that he is not receiving adequate medication while in detention.
Chang was sentenced in January 2025 to 102 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering as part of the hidden debts scandal, estimated at around $2.7 billion. The sentence was later reduced based on administrative credits granted by the U.S. prison system, taking into account time already served and the inmate’s behavior.
Detained since December 2018, following his arrest in South Africa, the former minister led Mozambique’s finance ministry between 2005 and 2015, a period during which the loans that triggered one of the most severe financial crises in the country’s recent history were structured.
The hidden debts case continues to have reputational and financial repercussions for Mozambique, affecting access to external financing and investor confidence, in a context where transparency and economic governance remain critical factors for macroeconomic stability.
Source: Diário Económico
