Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Free State High Court has granted an order for the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) to freeze more than R18 million that was fraudulently paid into South African bank accounts by Lesotho government officials.
The order was granted on Thursday after it emerged that the officials allegedly siphoned about R50 million from state coffers through a well-orchestrated scheme, said National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping.
Shuping said they had inflated and diverted payments meant for suppliers to themselves and their companies which had not rendered any services to the state.
The court granted the forfeiture order after the AFU proved that the money was fraudulently paid into Absa, Capitec, FNB and Standard Bank accounts to defraud the Lesotho government.
Lesotho Asset Forfeiture Unit and Lesotho Mounted Police requested the assistance of AFU, the Hawks and Financial Intelligence Centre when they established that officials from the Ministry of Finance had allegedly siphoned approximately R50 million and deposited R31 million into South African banks.
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“Seven officials from the Lesotho Ministry of Finance are currently facing charges of fraud and money laundering in the Maseru Magistrate’s Court,” Shuping said.
AFU investigator Oddie Mradla discovered that R18 610 688 was still available to be preserved, and advocate Bishum Somaru launched an urgent application in the Free State High Court to freeze the bank accounts.
The money has now been forfeited, and it will be paid back into the coffers of Lesotho government.
Further investigations showed that R7.3 million had been paid into the personal accounts of the officials accused of being involved in the fraud.
This money was also preserved after the AFU applied for an unopposed preservation order.
The AFU will apply for a forfeiture of this money in April 2022.
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