5 NOVEMBER 2023
The DCEO, LMPS and FIU went to Bloemfontein to receive the recovered assets from South African counterparts, namely NPA Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), South African Police Service (HAWKS), Financial Intelligence Center (FIC) and DPP.
This was done after the 2021 M54Million fraud scheme which involved the fraudulent payments to South African companies for services that were never rendered. The shell companies were controlled by Lehlohonolo Selate and his cohorts; they registered several South African shell companies which they used as ditches for their fraud. South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Center (FIC) had been probed in to assist in the investigations leading to the freezing of these accounts continuing to track more money, in collaboration with Lesotho’s Law enforcement agencies, AFU collected all the relevant evidence from Lesotho and South African banks and within a short time filed the first of four preservation applications which resulted in M18 610 688 being transferred back to the Lesotho government in June 2022. On Friday, another M5 million was handed back bringing the total cash to about M23 million. Recovered assets were, Audi A7, Volkswagen Golf 6, BMW x1 as well as an apartment.
Selate was charged with fraud, theft and money laundering by LMPS in October 2021 alongside Nteliseng Lawrence, Mookho Rafono, Tlali Mokoaleli, Thabang Nkoe, Hlabathe Phafoli, Thithili Makhesi, Maqoboto Lepolesa, Fako Molefe and Karabelo Makara.
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