The Mozambican Attorney General’s Office (PGR) considered that Manuel Chang’s sentence in the United States of America (USA) of eight and a half years in prison for fraud did not benefit the Mozambican state because it was “much lower” than if the case had been tried in the country.
“As you can see, the sentence he was given is much lower than if he had been tried in Mozambique, where the sentences for the crimes he is accused of vary between eight and 12 years in prison,” says the official PGR document quoted by Lusa.
According to the authorities, since Chang has already been tried in the US, Mozambican justice will not be able to try him again for the same facts when he returns to the country, recalling that the others involved in the hidden debt scandal were sentenced to between ten and 12 years in prison.
“Although the conduct of that citizen has seriously damaged the Mozambican state financially, as well as its international reputation, it will not be able to be compensated for the damage,” he said.
Manuel Chang
In January, Manuel Chang was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after being found guilty of participating in a fraud involving 2 billion dollars in loans to three state-owned companies related to Mozambique’s fishing industry.
Previously, Chang, 69, had already been convicted in August 2024 by a Brooklyn jury of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to launder money in the “tuna bonds” case, after a four-week trial.
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis imposed the sentence, recommending that the ex-governor be credited for the approximately six years he spent in custody awaiting trial, which would make him eligible to be released from U.S. prison and deported to Mozambique after serving two and a half years.
During the trial, US prosecutors claimed that the shipbuilding company Privinvest paid Chang seven million dollars in bribes in exchange for his approval of a Mozambican government guarantee for loans from banks, such as Credit Suisse, to three state-owned companies.
“The sentence he was given is much lower than if he had been tried in Mozambique, where the sentences for the crimes he is accused of range from eight to 12 years in prison”
The loans were intended to develop the national fishing industry and improve maritime safety, but the projects failed and the state companies did not pay what they owed, leaving investors with millions of dollars in losses, prosecutors said.
Donors such as the International Monetary Fund temporarily stopped supporting Mozambique, which triggered a collapse of the metical and financial turmoil.
The ex-governor has always pleaded not guilty, with his lawyers arguing that the ex-minister approved the government guarantee because the Mozambican President wanted him to, and there was no evidence that the seven million dollars were intended for the ex-governor.
Manuel Chang was Mozambique’s finance minister during Armando Guebuza’s rule from 2005-2010. The hidden debts scandal dates back to 2013 and 2014, when the then finance minister approved state guarantees on loans from ProIndicus, Ematum and MAM to the banks Credit Suisse and VTB, without the consent of parliament.
Chang was arrested at Johannesburg’s main international airport at the end of 2018, shortly before the US indictment became public.
