By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Sanele Malambe, the Under Secretary(US) in the Ministry of Defense and State Security has been implicated in a highly syndicated corruption scandal involving SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff.

The Defense and State Security Under Secretary has been receiving monies from Kareem Ashraff and other supplying companies with alleged links to the politically connected businessman but so far, an investigation conducted by this publication has uncovered suspicious monies amounting to over R5million.

As a result, the Under Secretary is living a lavish lifestyle and above his salary as a civil servant, he spends about five hundred thousand Rands(R500,000.00) per-year as school fees for his children studying in the various private schools and has just completed a home worth over R3million built within a year while purchasing various plots.

But there’s a logistics alleged shell company linked to the Under Secretary that allegedly receives international transfers through the First National Bank(FNB), the company is a subject of an investigation by this Swaziland News.

Reached for comments by this publication, the Under Secretary terminated the call shortly after this journalist started questioning him regarding these allegations.

“Yebo Nkhosi” he said before terminating the call after this journalist started questioning him seeking his response regarding the alleged corruption allegations.

SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff bank transactions are a subject of an investigation by this publication and as per documents in our possession, many public figures are receiving monies and linked to the influential, powerful and politically connected businessman of Indonesian origin who allegedly captured State institutions.

Worth-noting, analysis of the bank transactions involving Ashraff and Malambe suggests that, Ashraff would sometimes withdraw large amounts of money through his various companies and, the logistics alleged shell company would then receive cash deposits the same week, there are few instances where the money would be directly deposited without going through other bank accounts before reaching the Under Secretary.

But the over R5million does not only personally come from Ashraff instead, some supplying companies with a clear traceable record to the politically connected businessman are supplying the Umbutfo Eswatini Defense Force(UEDF) and bribing the Under Secretary. 

The politically connected businessman was previously supplying uniform however the Army is now manufacturing it’s own uniform hence he allegedly considered other services and doing alleged corrupt business with the Army through other companies.

Ashraff declined to comment when reached by this publication but he is facing arrest for allegedly looting or stealing billions of public funds within the Ministry of Health, resulting in the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.

Sanele Malambe is the Under Secretary in the Ministry of Defense and State Security, he is managing billions as a budget for the Army working with Principal Secretary Prince Sicalo.