By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini allegedly refused to protect Kareem Ashraff, the SwaziPharm Director who is facing arrest for allegedly stealing billions of public funds resulting in the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.

State intelligence information suggests that, Ashraff has been attempting to use the PM to evade arrest but the Prime Minister avoided him.

As a result, he subsequently approached Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala for protection who blocked his arrest by dismissing a warrant of arrest filed by the Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP).

It has been disclosed that, Ashraff was previously in constant communication with Russell Dlamini, the then Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA), however, the PM subsequently avoided him after he tried to control him and demanding his assistance in stopping the ACC and the Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP) Lomvula Hlophe from applying for the warrant of arrest against him.

The PM is alleged to have told Ashraff that he has been mandated to ensure the availability of drugs in public hospitals and therefore, he can’t stop law enforcement agencies from doing their job.

But as Ashraff consistently demand attention and protection, the Prime Minister allegedly told him that does not protect “corrupt thieves hence he must stay away from him”,

It has been disclosed that, after realizing that, he was no longer receiving attention from the PM, Ashraff started to harass the Prime Minister at some point, he would drive to the Sikhuphe Airport and intentionally park his car in a space reserved for the Prime Minister’s escorts just to grab his attention but the PM ignored him.

In one of the State Police Intelligence meeting held at the Cabinet Offices, the Prime Minister allegedly told police intelligence officers that;

“Yati loMndiya lona bengikhuluma naye ngiseka NDMA ngiyamati kodvwa I’ve discovered kutsi ugange kakhulu kulelive, sewufuna kubhaca ngami. INkhosi ingibuta onkhe malanga kutsi seyikhona yini lemitsi letibhedlela?”.

Efforts to seek a comment from Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.

But State intelligence information further suggests that, “the ACC is vigorously working towards arresting Kareem Ashraff” and after failing in his attempts to meet the Prime Minister again, he called an urgent press conference and influenced the print media to place him in the front page where he denied stealing the billions allocated to purchase drugs for public hospitals.

The ACC is allegedly armed with evidence suggesting that, Ashraff used his alternative company AvaPharm(Pty) Ltd to steal about R1billion, he allegedly cashed the money without supplying Antiretroviral(ARVs) as per the purchase order.

Responding to this Swaziland News, King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane consistently maintained that, Kareem Ashraff does not have any royal protection or King’s backing in this matter adding that the Monarch’s position stands that, if he committed as crime he must be arrested.

“We have no record of the King protecting anyone from being arrested by the police. All we have is records of perceptions to the effect that there are blue-eyed persons the King has made untouchable. Our experience is that Princes have been locked up, charged and sentenced but the king did not intervene. We therefore have no reasons to believe that the businessman in question is a holly cow. He is deeply concerned about drugs shortage of medication in public hospitals”, said the King’s Spokesperson.

But Swazipharm Kareem Ashraff summoned all editors and journalists for a press conference on Thursday in Mbabane, he vigorously denied stealing public funds.

Eswatini is facing a health crisis amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals, dozens have died since the crisis erupted triggered by rampant corruption in the public administration.

SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff has been at the centre of the alleged corruption and, the ACC is vigorously working towards throwing him behind bars on fraud and corruption charges.