Staff Reporter
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has confiscated R18 million that was allegedly stolen by Lesotho government officials from state coffers and transferred to South African banks.
The Free State High Court granted the forfeiture order after the AFU proved that the money was paid into Absa, Capitec, FNB and Standard Bank accounts to defraud the Lesotho government.
Seven officials from Lesotho’s Ministry of Finance are currently facing charges of fraud and money laundering in the Maseru Magistrates Court.
The suspects allegedly siphoned approximately R50 million from state coffers through a well-orchestrated scheme in which they inflated and diverted payments meant for suppliers to themselves and their companies which had not rendered any services to the kingdom.
The Lesotho Asset Forfeiture Unit and the Lesotho Mounted Police requested the assistance of the AFU, The Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre when they established that the officials had allegedly deposited R31 million of the loot into South African banks.
AFU investigator Oddie Mradla found out that R18 610 688 was still available to be preserved, prompting Advocate Bishum Somaru to launch an urgent court application to freeze the bank accounts.
The money has now been forfeited and it will be paid back into the coffers of the Lesotho government.
Further investigations revealed that there is R7.3 million that was paid into personal accounts of the officials allegedly involved in defrauding the Lesotho government and this money has also been preserved after the AFU applied for a preservation order that was unopposed.
The AFU will apply for a forfeiture order for this money in April.