Shipbuilder Serves Mozambican Leader With U.K. Court Claims

(Bloomberg) -- Shipbuilder Privinvest Group said it served Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi with its litigation claims in the High Court of London, drawing him closer to a $2 billion debt scandal that’s already ensnared Credit Suisse Group AG and other top government officials.

The company said Nyusi was served on Oct. 19, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the claims were handed to him directly or not.

“Service on President Nyusi reflects the fact that he is a party to the London litigation,” Privinvest said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. The claims against Nyusi “relate to payments made for his benefit, including to fund his 2014 presidential-election campaign, and given that he was at the heart of the creation and the subsequent sabotaging of the projects in Mozambique,” it said.

Nyusi’s spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an email, a call or a text message seeking comment. His political party has previously said he did nothing wrong and wouldn’t comment on ongoing court cases. 

The president, once served, has 23 days to file an acknowledgment of service, an admission, or a defense, according to a May 21 London High Court order. 

The shipbuilder’s claims relate to payments Privinvest says it made to Nyusi prior to his becoming president in 2015.

The company agreed to supply a fleet of tuna-fishing boats, shipyards and a coastal-protection system to Mozambique in 2013 and 2014 that was funded by $2 billion in debt. The deal led to default, arrests, and a slew of court cases spanning the U.S. to South Africa.

Last week, Credit Suisse agreed to pay almost $475 million in penalties to resolve multiple investigations into its role in the scandal.

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