{"id":98525,"date":"2026-03-20T16:04:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release"},"modified":"2026-03-20T16:51:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T16:51:16","slug":"former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","title":{"rendered":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang is scheduled for release from a US prison on March 26, after serving time related to the hidden debts scandal. The New York court denied his request for early release due to health issues, confirming his deportation back to Mozambique upon completion of his sentence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Mozambique. <\/strong> <\/span>Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang is set to be released on 26 March and deported to Mozambique, seven years after his arrest in connection with the \u201chidden debts\u201d case, according to a New York court.<\/p>\n

At issue is a request for early release on health grounds submitted by the defence to the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) in Brooklyn. A year ago, the court sentenced Chang to 102 months in prison. However, in a decision dated 12 February, which Lusa accessed on Wednesday, Judge Nicholas Garaufis rejected the request, considering that there were no \u201cextraordinary and compelling\u201d reasons to justify it, while confirming the release date for 26 March.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is scheduled to complete his sentence before the end of next month [March], at which time he will be deported to Mozambique,\u201d reads the decision. The judge further noted that Chang, 70, is \u201ca few weeks away from completing his sentence,\u201d so any change would only advance his release by a \u201cminimal period\u201d without sufficient legal grounds, despite the defence citing kidney problems, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidaemia.<\/p>\n

Chang, who headed Mozambique\u2019s finances from 2005 to 2015, is currently held at the FCI Danbury federal correctional institution in Connecticut. He sought release before the end of his term, citing health reasons, detention conditions, and errors in the allocation of credits for time served, having been deprived of his liberty since December 2018, when he was arrested in South Africa.<\/p>\n

On 17 January 2025, Manuel Chang was sentenced in the EDNY to 102 months (eight and a half years) in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering as part of the Mozambican hidden debts case.<\/p>\n

The sentence was significantly reduced due to administrative credits granted by the Bureau of Prisons, which accounted for time already spent in pre-trial detention and good behaviour while in custody. These credits decreased the initial sentence to approximately 14 months, setting his release for 26 March.<\/p>\n

In the decision, Judge Nicholas Garaufis concluded that the health issues raised by the defence were being properly monitored by prison authorities and did not constitute a serious risk warranting immediate release. He also stated that Chang \u201cpresented no evidence\u201d regarding allegations of precarious detention conditions.<\/p>\n

Before his conviction in New York, Chang had already spent about six years in custody awaiting trial, between his time in South Africa and his subsequent extradition to the US.<\/p>\n

Chang was accused of accepting bribes and conspiracy to divert funds from Mozambique\u2019s efforts to protect and expand its natural gas and fishing industries, in a scheme to enrich himself and defraud investors.<\/p>\n

During the trial, prosecutors accused Chang of collecting US$7 million in bribes, transferred through US banks to the European accounts of an associate, an allegation the former minister denied.<\/p>\n

In total, Chang and other participants would have diverted over US$200 million, affecting investors in the US and elsewhere by misrepresenting how the loan proceeds would be used and causing them to suffer substantial losses, the US prosecutors maintained.<\/p>\n

Throughout the legal process, the defence said that Chang was merely acting on his government\u2019s instructions when he signed the sovereign guarantees pledging that Mozambique would repay the loans, and that there was no evidence of any financial kickback for him.<\/p>\n

Between 2013 and 2016, three state-controlled companies discreetly took out massive loans from major foreign banks. Chang signed the guarantees that ensured repayment, which were crucial to the creditors.<\/p>\n

The proceeds were intended to fund a tuna fleet, a shipyard, Coast Guard vessels, and radar systems to protect natural gas fields off the Indian Ocean coast. However, US prosecutors stated that bankers and government officials diverted the loan money.<\/p>\n

Discovered in 2016, the debts were estimated at approximately US$2.7 billion (\u20ac2.3 billion), according to figures presented by Mozambique\u2019s Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office. Mozambique was then one of the world\u2019s ten fastest-growing economies for two decades, according to the World Bank, but ultimately plunged into financial turmoil.<\/p>\n

Mozambique\u2019s government has reached out-of-court settlements with creditors to repay part of the debt.<\/p>\n

Manuel Chang served as Mozambique’s Finance Minister from 2005 to 2015, during which time the country incurred significant hidden debts. The scandal, which came to light in 2016, involved over $2 billion in loans taken by state-owned companies, leading to a financial crisis in Mozambique. Chang was arrested in South Africa in 2018 and extradited to the US, where he faced charges of conspiracy and fraud related to the mismanagement of these funds. His case highlights the broader issues of corruption and mismanagement in Mozambique’s financial dealings.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Mozambique<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang is scheduled for release from a US prison on March 26, after serving time related to the hidden debts scandal. The New York court denied his request for early release due to health issues, confirming his deportation back to Mozambique upon completion of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":98524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[8366,843,720,283,8367],"class_list":["post-98525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-deportation","tag-hidden-debts","tag-manuel-chang","tag-mozambique","tag-us-court"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release - Mozambique<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"432\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\"},\"wordCount\":828,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"deportation\",\"hidden debts\",\"Manuel Chang\",\"Mozambique\",\"US court\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\",\"name\":\"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release - Mozambique\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":432,\"caption\":\"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/\",\"name\":\"Mozambique\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release - Mozambique","description":"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release","og_description":"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","og_site_name":"Mozambique","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":432,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release","datePublished":"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release"},"wordCount":828,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg","keywords":["deportation","hidden debts","Manuel Chang","Mozambique","US court"],"articleSection":["all news","policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release","name":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release - Mozambique","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-20T16:04:30+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-20T16:51:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"Former Mozambique Finance Minister Manuel Chang will be deported after his release from a US prison on March 26.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/sites\/64\/2026\/03\/sm_1774025251.488107.jpg","width":768,"height":432,"caption":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/all-news\/former-minister-chang-to-be-deported-after-us-release#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Former Minister Chang To Be Deported After US Release"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/","name":"Mozambique","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mozambique\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}