Asset Forfeiture Unit helps Lesotho Government recover millions of money

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The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) from the NPA has played a big role helping the Lesotho government claim back money which was irregularly paid into a company that did not fulfill their contract which was also not properly awarded.

The Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions brought the application on an urgent basis, as there was a section 34 intervention that had been placed on the funds by the Finance Intelligence Centre (FIC). 

The account frozen by the FIC belongs to Maru-A-Pula Group (Pty) Ltd, a company registered and incorporated in South Africa which received proceeds of unlawful activities from Maru-A-Pula Mining & Construction (Pty) Ltd.

Maru-A-Pula Mining is said to be one of the companies awarded a collective tender of over 37 million Maluti,  Lesotho currency to rehabilitate roads that had been damaged by heavy rains in Lesotho.

The tenders were awarded without following proper procedures, as envisaged in the Lesotho Procurement Rules and Regulations and as a result of government officials having been bribed by the companies’ shareholders, to award the tender and ensure that payments were processed without any services being rendered.

Both companies are owned by Ketso Baba Ketso, a Lesotho national who also owns other companies that were awarded the irregular tender. The order made provision for the preserved amount to be retained in the custody of FNB pending any intended forfeiture application.

The High Court found that the money paid to the company, Maru-A-Pula Group (Pty) Ltd were proceeds of unlawful activities and ordered that the money be paid back to the Lesotho Government.