LONDON, England
Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi cannot be sued in Britain over allegations he accepted unlawful payments as part of his nation’s litigation over the decade-long "tuna bond" scandal, London's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday.
Emirati Lebanese shipbuilder
Privinvest wanted to drag Nyusi into a $3.1-billion lawsuit brought by
Mozambique, which accuses it of paying bribes to officials and Credit Suisse
bankers.
London's High Court has yet to
rule on the case following a trial last year. Mozambique settled with Credit
Suisse's new owner UBS on the eve of the trial in October.
Shortly before last year's
trial began, the High Court ruled that Nyusi had not been properly served with
Privinvest's lawsuit and that he was entitled to immunity as a head of state.
Privinvest wanted to sue the
Mozambican president for allegedly accepting $11 million in campaign payments
from Privinvest, which says the payments were lawful.
The company says if the court
finds the payments unlawful, Nyusi should contribute to any damages it may be
ordered to pay.
But the Court of Appeal ruled
on Thursday that Nyusi was not properly served with the case.
Judge Julian Flaux also said
in a written ruling that Nyusi "has immunity from the jurisdiction of the
English courts whilst he is the head of state of Mozambique."
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