By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Mxolisi Dlamini,the suspect in the Stanlib Eswatini R2.3million fraud case who is allegedly wanted by the police,is actually being protected the same cops who claimed to be looking for him.

STANLIB Eswatini is a subsidiary of the Liberty Life Group and linked to Standard Bank,the entity opened a fraud case with the police after losing R2.3million and suspects in the matter were former Stanlib broker Ntombifuthi Portia Nkambule,Mxolisi Dlamini and others.

The money,it is alleged,was subsequently transferred to Mxolisi Dlamini bank account who subsequently fled to the United States(US) as police investigations intensified and,part of the stolen monies that was transferred from Standard Bank belonged to the Lutheran Church.

In the midst of the investigations,two(2) Standard Bank Eswatini employees were also implicated in the fraudulent transactions that triggered police investigations.

Now,an independent investigation conducted by this Swaziland News uncovered that Mxolisi Dlamini,one of the alleged prime suspects who fled to the United States after the commercial fraud,left the US on Thursday and arrived at the Oliver(OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.

But upon arrival at the OR Tambo Airport on Friday(12th July 2024), Dlamini,the wanted R2.3million Stanlib fraud suspect,was allegedly welcomed and subsequently transported to the Oshoek-Ngwenya Boarder Gate by his brother Mtfwalo Dlamini,a police officer based at Mafutseni Police Station.

It has been disclosed that,upon arrival at the Oshoek Boarder,the suspect allegedly used the informal crossing when entering eSwatini while his brother Mtfwalo Dlamini who was driving a White Isuzu crossed with his belongings, he then ‘picked’ him on the eSwatini side.

Worth-noting,Dlamini who was working in the US as a Care-Giver allegedly disappeared with items belonging to some emaSwati based in the United States.

The eSwatini US based citizens had purchased valuables worth over one hundred thousand Rands(R100,000.00) for their relatives and asked Dlamini to deliver same to them upon arrival in eSwatini.

But Dlamini is alleged to have later claimed “he was hijacked” on his way to eSwatini before avoiding calls from emaSwati based in the United States when questioned further.

“We gave him valuables worth over R100,000.00 to deliver to our relatives back home but he later claimed to have been hijacked along the way.We wondered if it was a hijacking,why the hijackers took our valuables without disappearing with the car.When we called the Mafutseni Police to open a case, they told us that they won’t arrest him because he stated clearly that,it was a hijacking”,said a Liswati based in the US.

It is alleged that,when leaving the United States this week,the R2.3million fraud suspect disappeared with valuables that include sneakers,four(4) new iPhones, one(1) Samsung S23 and a MacBook 7,he then charged the eSwatini US based citizens a collective amount of $5,000.00(about R90,000.00) for assisting them transport their valuables to eSwatini.

Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati,the Police Spokesperson declined to comment when asked why the police assisted the R2.3million Stanlib Eswatini fraud suspect to evade arrest and later claimed to be looking for him.

But it is alleged that,before coming back to the country,the suspect allegedly paid a number of senior police officers within the Police Headquarters to ensure that he is not arrested.

The suspect was allegedly advised by his ‘friends’ and brother within the police service to remain ‘undercover’ as the matter was still fresh.

Senior police officers in eSwatini are alleged to be taking bribes to assist suspects evade arrest thus compromising State security,the rule of law and investor confidence

As a result,Stanlib Eswatini has since become the latest victim of the compromised justice system in eSwatini,the financial institution lost over R2million through fraud without any legal recourse.