Manuel Chang returns to Mozambique

Manuel Chang is back in Mozambique. Police sources confirmed to RFI that the former Finance Minister returned to the country during the Easter celebrations, reports the Club of Mozambique. After a failed return last week due to bureaucratic issues, Chang, who had been serving a prison sentence in the US, landed in Mozambique on 5 April. Police sources said Chang was deported by US immigration and customs authorities. His arrival was also confirmed by sources who travelled on the same flight. The sources reported that Chang appeared physically weak and had difficulties with his right arm and leg. Also on the flight were several members of the Assembly of the Republic, mainly from the Frelimo and Mozambique Democratic Movement benches, some of whom sat next to Chang on the Ethiopian Airlines flight. As previously reported in Legalbrief, Chang was sentenced in January 2025 by a US Federal Court to eight-and-a-half years in prison for his role in a $2bn ‘hidden debt’ conspiracy. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering regarding $7m in bribes for approving fraudulent, secret loans to state-owned firms, which triggered a massive financial crisis in Mozambique.