MBABANE:Timothy Matsebula,the Auditor General(AG) might soon face corruption charges after a high level investigation conducted by the Anti Corruption Commission(ACC).
The AG stands accused of influencing the awarding of a tender to Funduzi Forensic Services without verifying the authenticity of company registration documents among other allegations.
But the ACC investigation, as per information within the file leaked to this investigative journalist, further accused the AG of awarding the tender with intent to defraud the State for personal benefit.
It has been reported that, as part of the investigations, the ACC wrote a letter to the AG, directing him to hand over the Funduzi tender documents and this, was in the midst of the investigation.
Funduzi Forensic Services is the company that investigated and subsequently exposed the multibillion looting of public funds within the Ministry of Health, the alleged looting resulted in the shortage of drugs in public hospitals.
The report was subsequently adopted by Parliament and, this is the same report that exposed Swazipharm Director Kareem Ashraff in the multibillion looting of public funds.
But the businessman has been vigorously working towards discrediting the investigation report saying it was compiled by unqualified forensic investigators.
ACC Spokesperson Jabu Phakathi declined to comment about the pending investigation, it remains unclear if the law enforcement agency will eventually arrest the Auditor General as some investigators told this publication that, due to the status of the AG in the country, the ACC might consult the King first before the arrest.
“The investigation is almost, we were holding meetings and it was suggested that, kumele ayocelwa eNkhosini kucala”, said one of the investigators who spoke to this publication.
Efforts to seek a comment from the Auditor General(AG) proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Speaking to this Swaziland News earlier, eSwatini highly regarded lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi said, “the ACC, as an independent law enforcement agency, have all the powers to arrest even Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini” and therefore, must not be subjected to the control of the Executive.
“The Anti Corruption Commission was established by the Prevention of Corruption Act to fight corruption and as an independent law enforcement agency, the investigators can arrest anyone, even the Prime Minister without consulting or seeking permission from the country’s authorities,” said the lawyer.
But before the ACC launched the investigation, the Auditor General was labelled by the PM as incompetent, Matsebula was also attacked by Ashraff through the media and allegations emerged suggesting that, Ashraff has captured and using the ACC against the Auditor General.
This was after Matsebula exposed the PM amid disappearance of over R210million public funds within the National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA) where the Prime Minister was working as the Chief Executive Officer(CEO).

Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula(pic: sourced via The Nation Magazine).