Lawyers debate the secret debts that bankrupted Mozambique

IN 2013 A Lebanese businessman sent an email to Ndambi Guebuza, the son of Armando Guebuza, who was then president of Mozambique. It promised that a chartered flight would soon leave France for Maputo, the Mozambican capital, carrying an unusual cargo: 7,427 bottles of wine. What did the email mean? When the public prosecutor asked about it at an ongoing trial, the younger Mr Guebuza shot back. “Do you, madam, want some wine?” he fumed, before alleging that the whole process is a political stitch-up.Ndambi Guebuza is one of 19 high-profile defendants on trial in Maputo on charges including bribery, embezzlement and money-laundering (which they deny). The accusations relate to a series of deals in 2013 and 2014 which saw state-backed firms borrow more than $2bn, mostly in secret. Although the money was earmarked for fishing boats (pictured) and maritime security, American regulators say that at least $200m was pocketed by Mozambican officials and bankers from Credit Suisse, which helped arrange the deals. The revelation of the hidden debts in 2016 pushed the country into default and sparked court cases on three continents.