Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang has been deported to Mozambique, seven years after his initial arrest in South Africa, bringing a long-running legal saga closer to its conclusion.
Chang left the custody of U.S. immigration authorities, specifically the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), after delays that pushed back his expected deportation date. The transfer had initially been scheduled for late March but was postponed due to issues during a planned stopover in Lisbon.
His legal team had earlier appealed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York to intervene, requesting immediate deportation and clarification on travel documentation, as well as access to necessary medication while in custody.
Chang was convicted in the United States in connection with Mozambique’s “hidden debts” scandal, a corruption case involving an estimated 2.7 billion dollars. He had been sentenced in 2025 to 102 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Read more about this topic: Bribes: former Mozambican finance minister deported back to his home country
However, his sentence was significantly reduced due to time already served and good behavior, allowing for his release in March 2026. He had been detained since December 2018, when he was arrested in South Africa while traveling.
Efforts to deport him had been coordinated in advance, including the issuance of an emergency travel document by Mozambique’s embassy in Washington. A flight via TAP Air Portugal, with a route from Boston to Maputo via Lisbon, had been arranged, but he was prevented from boarding after Portuguese authorities did not approve the transit documentation.
Chang remained in ICE custody in Massachusetts for nearly a week before finally being flown back to Mozambique over the weekend.
During his time as finance minister from 2005 to 2015, Chang was accused of accepting bribes and helping orchestrate a scheme to divert funds intended for maritime security and development projects, misleading international investors in the process.
His return to Mozambique is expected to reignite scrutiny over the country’s largest corruption scandal and its long-term political and economic consequences.
