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- Justice Minister, Ronald Lamola is yet to reach a decision on the fate of former Mozambique finance minister, Manuel Chang.
- Chang was detained in December 2018.
- He is wanted in the US in connection with a $2 billion loan scandal.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola is yet to make a decision on former Mozambique finance minister, Manuel Chang's fate nearly a year after the High Court remitted the decision back to him.
"When a decision is reached it will be communicated accordingly," Lamola's spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told News24 on Wednesday.
This comes after the High Court - on 1 November 2019 - dismissed Chang's bid to compel Lamola to give effect to his predecessor's decision to extradite him to his home country, instead of the US.
Lamola - in a counter application - asked that former minister Michael Masutha's decision [to send Chang to his home country] be reviewed and set aside on the basis that it was contrary to the provisions of the Extradition Act.
Chang enjoyed immunity in his home country until it was lifted in January 2019, News24 reported.
This followed a ruling from the Kempton Park Magistrate's Court on 8 April, 2019 - pending the justice minister's decision - that Chang should be extradited to the US.
The High Court subsequently set aside the minister's [Masutha] decision to extradite Chang to Mozambique. To the extent that the minister's decision dismissed the US extradition request, it was also set aside.
The court ordered that both decisions were remitted to the current minister [Lamola] for determination.
Chang was wanted by the US in connection with allegations of conspiracy to commit fraud and taking millions of dollars in bribes in a $2 billion loan scandal, News24 previously reported.
The former finance minister was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on 29 December 2018 while on his way to Dubai, and has been in custody since.
In February 2020 - the Mozambican government decided to withdraw bids to have Chang extradited, and left it in the hands of Lamola.
ALSO READ | Mozambique gives up on battle to have bribery-accused former finance minister extradited
BusinessLive also reported that the former finance minister had been charged by Mozambique for his alleged involvement in the $2 billion scandal.
