By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: Thembinkosi Dlamini, the Executive Director of the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organizations(CANGO) has accused some banks including Standard Bank of colluding with the Tinkhundla system or Government to support oppression in the country,he called for decisive action against financial institutions who assist the State in the ongoing violation of human rights.

Standard Bank Eswatini Chief Executive Mvuselelo Fakudze had not responded at the time of compiling this report while Jabu Phakathi, the Spokesperson of the Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) declined to comment.

Responding to this Swaziland News on Thursday morning,the CANGO Executive Director said,the billions that disappeared within the Ministry of Health resulting to the shortage of drugs in public hospitals, was laundered through the banks.

But despite being in control and with privileged information regarding the corruption, Dlamini said, the financial institutions including Standard Bank Eswatini never raised a red flag, instead, the banks allegedly allowed the powerful and politically connected looters to transfer stolen public funds to offshore accounts.

The Executive Director was commenting about the case of Delisa Malinga,the Standard Bank Eswatini employee who is being persecuted by his employer for allegedly using his Unayo account to assist Directors of Funduzi Forensic Services in transferring monies to various people.

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.

“Some of these banks are owned by international banking institutions and they cannot do what they are doing here in democratic countries. It’s surprising to note that here,they can just release clients information to institutions like the Anti Corruption Commission without a court order.Bankers have a relationship with their clients and sometimes a client can instruct his/her banker to do transactions on his/her behalf.Now we are seeing Standard Bank colluding with those who are fighting Funduzi Forensic Services, searching the beneficiaries of their bank account. What if Funduzi was paying those providing information in the process of the investigation should that be known? What if the informers or whistleblowers who assisted the forensic company in their investigation get killed by the powerful individuals implicated in the Funduzi report?.In all this Standard Bank is assisting those fighting Funduzi and evading accountability in the drugs shortage scandal”, he said.

Prime Minister Russell Dlamini declined to comment when reached by this Swaziland News.

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).

On another note, the CANGO Director further mentioned that,despite being internationally owned and governed by certain principles, some of the international owned banks have started to deprive organizations fighting for human rights the right to receive money from donors at the instruction of the Government or those in power without a court order.

“We have organizations who are deprived banking services by these banks, I am talking about organizations who have never be charged, accused of any crime or found guilty by the courts. Those in power would just issue an instruction telling the banks not to allow these organizations to bank or receive foreign funds and they banks would just implement the order. So this means, they are assisting the Government in violating human rights because if Standard Bank is assisting those fighting Funduzi Forensic Services while they kept quiet when monies were laundered via their banking systems, this means they are complicit or support the shortage of drugs including the powerful looters”, said the CANGO Director.