Lawyers made a request for the release of Chang, arguing that his arrest was illegal.
According to media reports monitored by APA on Wednesday, after hearing the arguments of the prosecutor and the defence, the judge stood down the hearing, and then returned to the courtroom with a decision to deny Manuel Chang freedom.
Chang was in charge of Mozambique’s finances when it failed to disclose the government’s guarantees for $2 billion in international borrowing by state-owned firms.
Judge Sagra Subrayen said in a Johannesburg court on Wednesday that Chang’s detention had followed the procedure set out in the extradition treaty between South Africa and the United States, and that she was not persuaded by the defence’s argument.
“The application is, therefore, dismissed,” she declared.
The United States is also seeking the extradition of three former Credit Suisse bankers and the lead salesman of Abu Dhabi-based holding company Privinvest, who it says are implicated in the alleged fraud.
If Chang is extradited to the United States, analysts say the case against him could unearth details about Mozambique’s debt scandal, with potential implications for senior members of the ruling party ahead of elections in October.
CM/afm/APA