MAPUTO, Mozambique - The Mozambican attorney general’s office on Monday withdrew its appeal to South African courts to have former Finance Minister Manuel Chang extradited back home amid a massive debt scandal. The decision to drop the appeal aims at speeding up a decision by South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola. The Mozambican attorney general’s office still hopes he will decide to extradite Chang to Mozambique rather than to the U.S., which requested his arrest and extradition in late 2018. The attorney general’s office has spent more than $1.6 million to have a South African law firm argue that the previous justice minister’s decision be respected. The attorney general’s office said Monday that Chang’s absence is holding up those cases, and it hoped its decision to drop it appeals in South Africa would speed up a decision there.

Source: thestar February 10, 2020 17:15 UTC