By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:The Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit(EFIU) has handed over Chief Justice(CJ) Bheki Maphalala’s bank transactions and other relevant evidence amid an Anti Corruption Commission(ACC) investigation into allegations of corruption.

This disclosure comes after this Swaziland News reported and further published a letter where Sipho Mthethwa, the Chief Investigator of the Anti Corruption Commission, wrote to the Financial Intelligence under the Central Bank of Eswatini(CBE), requesting to be furnished with information to assist in the ongoing high level corruption investigation.

But information sourced from Chief Justice’s highly confidential investigation file within the ACC suggests that, Maphalala is being investigated for abuse of power and/or taking bribes to influence court judgements.

When this journalist gained access to the file earlier through sources, the investigation was at its preliminary stage with letters to the banks, in the letters, Chief Investigator Sipho Mthethwa was corresponding with other State institutions requesting information that might assist in the ongoing high level investigation.

The preliminary stage of an investigation is the stage where investigators meet to discuss how to approach the investigation and at this stage, investigation tactics and identification of possible sources of information are deliberated at length,the meeting is normally chaired by the Chief Investigator.

But this week, the Chief Justice ACC investigation had some correspondence from the Financial Intelligence with possible investigations, into alleged conflict of interest in the recent junior police officers salary increment Supreme Court judgement.

The CJ failed or refused to recuse himself in the matter despite being married to a junior cop and, is now being investigated even on possible conflict of interest criminal charges.

But the ACC investigation went as far as tracing Maphalala’s cows amid allegations suggesting that, some litigants allegedly bribed him with cattle when seeking favours, part of the information contained in the file cannot be revealed as this might compromise the ongoing ACC investigation.

Jabu Phakathi,the Spokesperson of the Anti Corruption Commission declined to comment about the matter.

But after this publication exposed that the CJ was being investigated and further published evidence, Phakathi threatened to launch an internal investigation and apprehend the ACC investigators who leaked information to this journalist.

Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala is currently under pressure to resign and it is alleged that, the delay in the appointment of the Judicial Service Commission(JSC) by King Mswati was as a result of Maphalala’s refusal to vacate office.

The CJ avoided questions from this publication regarding this matter.

Responding to this Swaziland News earlier, King’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said announcing the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) “is a process,”adding that,he was not sure when the announcement would be made.

“Our experience is that there is no calendar date for the appointments in question and that to pool such a team is a process and not an occasion.It would,therefore,be difficult to figure out when the announcement will be made.We believe stakeholders too,would rather have it done right for many weeks than rushed to meet a deadline half-heatedly”, said the King’s Spokesperson.