It was the biggest corruption scandal in Mozambique’s history, involving more than $2bn of borrowing by three state-backed firms, mostly done in secret, and greased by kickbacks. On October 16th, a decade after the first loan was agreed, the reverberations will reach the High Court in London. There the government of Mozambique is seeking more than $2bn in damages from Privinvest, a group of firms based in Lebanon, and its boss.
The knottiest issue is the role of Filipe Nyusi, the president , who was defence minister when the deals were made. Privinvest says it contributed $1m to his campaign and $10m to his party before elections in 2014. If other payments to Mozambican officials are deemed unlawful, its lawyers argue, then so should these. That would make the president liable for damages sought by his own government.