The Free State Assets Forfeiture Unit handed over another cheque and assets to the Lesotho Treasury as part of continued efforts to recover money deposited into various South African banks defrauded from the neighbouring country’s government.

The law enforcement officials, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the Free State, Advocate Navilla Somaru, handed over a R5,1 million cheque to the Lesotho Treasury at Offices of the NPA in Bloemfontein on Friday. This forms part of the R31 million fraudulently deposited into Absa, Capitec, FNB and Standard Bank accounts to defraud the Lesotho government.

OFM News previously reported that officials from the Ministry of Finance in Lesotho had allegedly extracted R50 million and deposited R31 million into various South African bank accounts. The neighbouring country received an R18 million cheque last year. This year the AFU in collaboration with the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) in Lesotho recovered R5,1 million, two flats in Bloemfontein suburbs and three vehicles, which will be transported to Lesotho. This follows AFU applications brought forward to the Bloemfontein High Court in the past year.

“There will be no hiding place for criminals and criminality in our respective due restrictions. There should be no safe haven for purporting games in our due restrictions, including processes of corruption and other serious offences.”

“A glaring call has been made, we are going to follow suit and this is just the beginning of a long hard journey of fighting corruption to make sure we make our respective due restrictions much more safer. To also make sure much-needed funds that we require to pursue service delivery programmes in our countries are redirected to benefit public not for the rich elite that are in government or private sector,” said (DCEO) Director General, Advocate Knorx Molelle.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi Corné/Daphné