SA law firm contracted for tuna bond case
Publish date: 20 January 2020
Issue Number: 856
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: General
Mozambique has paid lawyers about $1.6m to try to keep former Finance Minister Manuel Chang from facing trial in the US, an anti-corruption organisation has claimed. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, Chang has been detained in SA since December 2018 over allegations relating to loans of nearly $2bn that he signed in 2013 and 2014. The funds were used in part to buy hugely overvalued boats in what has become known as the tuna bond scandal. BBC News reports that the Mozambique-based Centre of Public Integrity (CIP) has published invoices which show that the Attorney-General's Office employed SA law firm Mabunda Incorporated Attorneys to fight for the extradition of Chang back to Mozambique. A report on the allAfrica site notes that the contract was signed on 30 July. CIP argues that he should be extradited to the US to stand trial.
