MBABANE:Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has allegedly instructed the Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) to arrest Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula amid tension between the two after the AG compiled a report accusing the PM of failing to account for R210million.
As a result,Maphevu Makhatjwa,the Acting Commissioner of the ACC has allegedly written a letter to Mvuselelo Fakudze,the Standard Bank Eswatini Chief Executive(CE) directing him to release bank transactions for Funduzi Forensic Services, the directive has been made in terms of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 2006.
Funduzi Forensic Services is the investigating company that compiled a report,exposing the disappearance of billions within the Ministry of Health,resulting to the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.
The plot to arrest the Auditor General(AG) was first exposed by this publication long before the PM declared the Office of the AG incompetent and this,was shortly after the Prime Minister assembled what he described as an “Anti Corruption Task Team” that he now uses to fight his political enemies.
But insiders in the corridors of power told this publication that,in the plot to arrest the Auditor General(AG),the Prime Minister is being backed by the influential,powerful and politically connected SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff.
It is alleged that, Ashraff wants to then use the arrest of the AG and Funduzi Director Zakhele Dlamini,to discredit the forensic report that accused him of ‘stealing’ over R1billion resulting to the shortage of drugs in the various public hospitals.
“Ashraff and the PM have found a common enemy in Auditor General Timothy Matsebula, both of them have an interest in seeing him behind bars.The Prime Minister is fighting the AG over the missing R210million reports while Ashraff wants to discredit the Funduzi Forensic Services report”, said an insider.
Efforts to reach the Auditor General proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
But in the midst of the tension in the corridors of power with the PM and Ashraff faction intensifying moves to arrest the AG and the Director of Funduzi Forensic Services Zakhele Dlamini,it is alleged that,the powerful and politically connected alleged corrupt syndicate has teamed-up with Mvuselelo Fakudze,the Standard Bank Chief Executive(CE) in an effort to intensify the investigation against the Auditor General(AG) who stands accused of accepting bribes from Funduzi Forensic Services.
As a result,Delisa Malinga,a banker at Standard Bank Eswatini has been hauled before a disciplinary hearing for allowing Funduzi Forensic Services to use his Unayo account in what the Standard Bank Management described as fraud and corruption.
The Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) is accusing the forensic company of paying various individuals in the country including the Auditor General(AG) to secure the tender to investigate the drugs shortage crisis.
Reached for comments on Wednesday, Jabu Shiba,the Secretary General(SG) of the Swaziland Union of Financial Institutions and Allied Workers Union(SUFIAWU) confirmed that,banker Delisa Malinga was being persecuted by his employer Standard Bank Eswatini adding that,Malinga stands accused of using his Unayo account on behalf of Funduzi Forensic Services to pay various individuals.
“We ended-up in court over this matter of our member who is now being persecuted for assisting a client to make payments.During the hearing,a letter written by the Acting Anti Corruption Commissioner Maphevu Mkhatjwa was produced and we said NO, we want the copy. But we were told that,the letter is confidential they can just show us.In all this,we are surprised because as bankers,we have relatives who are dying in public hospitals amid the shortage of drugs.Funduzi came here to assist us as the country to investigate the shortage of drugs and they produced a report.Instead of Government arresting those who looted the public funds resulting to the shortage of drugs in public hospitals, we are now seeing the ACC going after the AG and Funduzi for investigating the shortage of drugs and exposing those who looted the money, we are equally surprised and concerned with the latest developments”,said the SUFIAW Secretary General(SG).
Jabu Phakathi,the Spokesperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC)declined to comment about the matter while the influential,powerful and politically connected SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff promised to comment after the conclusion of the court cases.
Responding to this Swaziland News on Wednesday, Zakhele Dlamini, the Managing Director(MD) of Funduzi Forensic Services said,they were equally shocked with the latest developments and persecution after they produced a comprehensive report about the shortage of drugs and looting of billions within the Ministry of Health,Dlamini consistently maintained that,the Standard Bank employee did nothing wrong.
“The syndicate targeting our company is huge and all this is intended to discredit the forensic report”, said the Funduzi Managing Director(MD).
Mvuselelo Fakudze,the Standard Bank Chief Executive(CE) had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
On another note,Wandile Dludlu, the Deputy President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) described the syndicate targeting the Auditor General(AG) as powerful and dangerous.
“What you need to understand is that,Russell Dlamini is doing all this because he might have been aware of other dirty dealings by the Auditor General(AG), so the fight is huge and we might see others going to jail but this, will depend on who is more powerful than the other”, said the PUDEMO Deputy President when speaking to this publication.
Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo declined to comment about the matter.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini is allegedly colluding with SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff in manipulating the Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) with intent to arrest the Auditor General(AG).
The tension escalated after Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, the then Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA) failed to account for R210million donated and public funds,the monies were meant to be distributed to poor members of the public as grants during the COVID-19 lockdown.
But apart from that, Ashraff and the Prime Minister(PM) allegedly found themselves having a common enemy after the Office of the AG released the report compiled by Funduzi Forensic Services,implicating Ashraff’s companies in the looting of over R1billion,resulting to the shortage of drugs in public hospitals, dozens of emaSwati have died since the health crisis erupted.
Standard Bank Chief Executive Mvuselelo Fakudze.