Africa-Press – Eswatini. A highly secretive communication between SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff and a senior Government official has exposed how the powerful and politically connected businessman is laundering money in an attempt to pay R1million to Government on behalf of Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala.
Ministry of Finance Treasury Department documents suggest that, after this publication exposed the Chief Justice for allegedly defrauding the State over R1million in housing allowances, Maphalala was forced to pay back the money but, ended-up committing himself to pay back only two hundred thousand Rands(R200,000.00) in installments of three thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight Rands, eighty-eight cents(R3,268.88).
But SwaziPharm Director who was communicating with a Government official as per information in possession of this publication, said, he was preparing to pay the about nine hundred thousand Rands(R900,000.00) on behalf of the CJ saying, “those who want to remove the Chief Justice from power were using story and other stories to force him to resign or pay back the balance”.
SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff declined to comment about the matter while efforts to reach Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
But highly regarded lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi when responding to this publication after being asked to share an independent view in this matter said, the Chief Justice or any Judge “is ethically not allowed to accept money from third parties” except regulated financial institutions.
“What will happen if Ashraff could be arrested and then Chief Justice be expected to preside over that matter?. It seems the CJ is defending one scandal after another instead of administering justice in the country and therefore, it would be best for him to just take a leave of absence until such allegations are cleared,” said the lawyer.
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