Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) has been asked to probe Metsi ke Bophelo (Pty) Ltd and the government officials’ interest in it.
The request is from Tsabo Moshemane ha li Jeoe, an association led by spokespersons of opposition parties. The DCEO spokesperson, ’Matlhokomelo Senoko, confirmed receipt of the letter yesterday but declined to give what steps will be taken.
Tsabo Moshemane approached the DCEO after members could not agree on whether they should ask the High Court to interdict Metsi ke Bophelo and the government from holding their hydrogen conference and expo scheduled for today.
They want the DCEO to probe if there is any corruption in sourcing and availing of funds from the African Development Bank and BRICS and depositing them into the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) and Metsi ke Bophelo bank accounts.
“This dubious and amorphous entity is represented by the person of Mashudu Elias Ramaano of South African origin,” the letter partly reads.
“The minister confirmed that millions of funds accruing from the African Development Bank, BRICS and other local and foreign parties have been deposited into Metsi ke Bophelo and the LNDC accounts,” it reads.
They also want the DCEO to investigate if no law was broken in making the government principal secretaries signatories in the bank accounts. “There is a fraudulent MoU signed between the minister and Mr Mashudu on 25 August, 2023, prior to the incorporation of Metsi Ke Bophelo on 21 September, 2023,” the letter reads.
They accuse Metsi ke Bophelo boss, Mashudu, and Natural Resources Minister Mohlomi Moleko of illegally engaging the government in the affairs of a private company. They added that many laws including the Public Finance Management Act have been egregiously infringed.
They also said that despite the legal advice of the attorney general, misgivings of the accountant general, and supervision of the relevant portfolio committee, “the minister is adamant to proceed with the perpetuation of this felony”.
“It is our considered opinion that it is within the legal remit of duties of the DCEO to heed the cautionary voice of the public and at the behest of concerned citizens act with dispatch to prevent money laundering, racketeering and other incidental crimes,” the letter reads.
This comes after Moleko admitted before the parliamentary Natural Resources Committee that they mistakenly did not determine the accounts they would use for the project.
He also told the committee that the date differences between the signing of the memorandum of understanding and the project registration were caused by typing errors.
He again told the committee that they ended up agreeing with the LNDC to use their bank accounts for the project. The conference is expected to begin today in Maseru.
What triggered the furore from the association is that the company was launched before it registered and at the same time the government was already instructing Lesotho’s embassies to help raise funds for its conference and expo.
“It is not clear what this company is exactly going to do in the country,” said Lepolesa Makutoane, the Basotho Action Party (BAP) spokesman who appears to be leading the fight against the company.
“But we could see there is a serious encroachment of Lesotho’s laws by the South Africans,” he said.
Two Basotho are also shareholders and directors of Metsi ke Bophelo. All four have equal shares. “Basotho were excluded when this company was brought into the country,” Makutoane said.
He argues that it is unacceptable to go on with the project yet it is not clear what it has in store for Basotho who are the main beneficiaries of Lesotho’s natural resources.
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