Mozambique Wins Permission to Sue Lebanese Widow Over $2 Billion Tuna Bonds Fraud

The African nation brought a case against Lebanese shipbuilder Privinvest and its owner Iskandar Safa in London, alleging they paid over $136 million in bribes to secure inflated contracts for fishing vessels and patrol boats, creating a $2 billion debt known as the “tuna bonds” scandal. Following Safa’s death from cancer in January 2024, a judge permitted Mozambique to add his widow, Clara Martinez Thedy de Safa, to the lawsuit, citing Lebanese inheritance rules that make heirs immediately responsible for a deceased’s debts.

Her barrister, Robert Howe KC, contested the jurisdiction of English courts over an overseas estate, but Lord Justice Miles dismissed the appeal, stating that under Lebanese law there is no separate estate concept and creditors can pursue the heir directly. The court ordered Privinvest to pay $534 million plus interest, while the liability of Mrs. Safa will be quantified in later proceedings. The case highlights the lingering financial fallout from the tuna-bonds fraud, which also saw former finance minister Manuel Chang sentenced in the United States.