By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Kareem Ashraff,the influential,powerful and politically connected SwaziPharm Director has been labelled as a high risk by some banks amid a high level investigation into the disappearance of over R600million within the Ministry of Health,resulting to the ongoing health crisis.

A client who has been labelled as a risk by financial institutions is not eligible for loans,banks provide loans to companies and individuals after conducting a risk assessment.

A questionnaire was sent to the SwaziPharm Director,however,he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

It is alleged that after being labelled as a high risk by the bank amid a series of articles published by this Swaziland News, Ashraff, who doubles as an Indonesian Consulate  allegedly ‘negotiated’ with Government Spokesperson to provide clarity that he was in good terms with the eSwatini Government.

On or around 24th December 2023,Nxumalo then posted on his online pages trying to clean the SwaziPharm Director and assure banks that,the businessman was in a good working relationship with government.

“Government wishes to state categorically clear that it never had problems with working with SwaziPharm as the supplier of drugs.Even through the difficult period of drugs shortages in Government hospitals, SwaziPharm continued as is today,to supply Government with drugs irrespective of some accumulative unpaid invoices. And as of yesterday, government honored some of the invoices with payments to the tune of 9million Emalangeni and also working on a letter of comfort to one of the company’s bankers who had reacted by putting pressure to the company as a result of the perception that government is having challenges with the company. Secondly, government wishes to put  it on record that SwaziPharm has never been a subject of investigations on its dealings with government.Finally, government takes this opportunity to express her regret at the bad publicity that might have generated as a result of the acute misinterpretation of events with regard to SwaziPharm as a business in general and as a strategic supplier of importance to government”, said the Government Spokesperson in his online statement.

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo had not responded at the time of compiling this report when asked to clarify the online statement.

On another note, it appeared that the Government Spokesperson was not telling the truth as, the Funduzi Forensic investigation report that was sabotaged by Cabinet,allegedly implicates Kareem Ashraff and some of his companies.

This publication is also in possession of documentary evidence implicating Ashraff in alleged corruption within the Ministry of Health.

It has been reported by this Swaziland News that, police officers allegedly raided the home of the SwaziPharm Director situated in the capital city, Mbabane.