Mozambique’s former finance minister has been sentenced to serve another two-and-a-half years in prison by a U.S. court for his role in the “ tuna bond ” scandal that triggered a financial crisis in the struggling African nation.
Manuel Chang, 69, was convicted last year of accepting payoffs to put his homeland secretly on the hook for about $2 billion in loans from major overseas banks.
A federal judge in New York on Friday sentenced Chang to eight-and-a-half years in prison, including nearly six years he has already served behind bars in the U.S. and South Africa, where he was arrested in 2018.
Speaking through an interpreter, Chang told the court Friday that he has learned from his mistakes and is “very disgusted” with his conduct.
“I deeply regret the damage I have caused,“ he said. “I am sorry.“
Chang also implored the judge to have “compassion,” citing his years incarcerated in deplorable conditions in South Africa that he said exacerbated his diabetes and other health problems.
“I would not like to die here in a prison in a foreign country, far away from my family,” he said.
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Prosecutors, who had argued for a prison sentence of 11 to 14 years, rejected that notion, arguing that Chang enjoyed trips to villas in France and drove an “obscene” luxury vehicle despite his country’s poverty.
“He stole from his country and caused the crisis that crippled it,” said Jonathan Siegel, an assistant U.S. attorney.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Nicholas Garaufis agreed, adding that Chang played a “central role” in the graft as he signed the financial documents that obligated his government.
“He had a fiduciary duty to make sure these loans were in the best interest of his country,” said Garaufis, who also ordered Chang, over his lawyers’ objections, to forfeit $7 million.
The judge said his sentence took into account Chang’s age, poor health and prior incarceration. He said he hoped Chang had a “brighter future with his family” when he is deported back to Mozambique after completing his sentence.
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