ACC NOW DEMANDS 8 WARDERS’ BACETH ACCOUNTS

MBABANE – First it was the police, now it is the ACC.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), has directed incarcerated Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi, Bacede Mabuza, to furnish it with detailed information and documents pertaining to the eight officers from His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) who have accounts at Baceth Investments. He has also been ordered to dispose to an affidavit detailing among other things how the officers got to have accounts in his business.  The commission is reportedly investigating whether there was any element of corruption when the officers opened the accounts.

Mabuza is the owner of Baceth Hardware  Stores, which has branches across all regions of the country. Baceth Investments is one of the hardware stores which allows customers to open accounts with them for purposes of purchasing building material. The eight officers are now subject to the investigation that has been instituted by the ACC and the police pertaining the smuggling of two cellphones, which were found in Mabuza’s  possession. The officers who’s accounts details are now subject to investigation are Thokozani Mhlanga, Lucky Dludlu, Lasco Leandry, Johannes Tsabedze, Tom Bongwe, Mangaliso Dlamini, Neliswa Dlamini and Bheki Magagula.

Served

The ACC served the MP with the document directing him to furnish it with the information and documents at the Matsapha Maximum Prison last week. In the correspondence, the commission  requested Mabuza to furnish it with certified copies of  information detailing opening documents of the customers and/or loan issuance books of the officers, statements of accounts from date that they were opened to current date and/or loan issuance books and the client’s know your customer (KYC) documents. “Your institution will be required to provide us with affidavits outlining the above information that would be discussed between our investigators and your offices in respect of this investigation,” reads part of the document.

The legislator was ordered to furnish the commission with the required information and documents within seven business days from receipt of the letter from the ACC. The three-page letter to the MP was signed by the Commissioner of the ACC, Daniel Dlamini. Mabuza was further informed that the request for the information and documents was made in terms of Section 11 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 3 of 2006. Section 11 of the Act provides that: “In performance of the function of the commission to conduct an inquiry or investigation into alleged suspected offences; can direct an executive officer or any public or private body to furnish within such time as specified by the commissioner, any document or a certified true copy of any document which is in possession or under the control of that person and which the commissioner considers necessary for the conduct of investigations into alleged suspected offence.”

The Act further stipulates that, where it appears to the commissioner that an offence under this Act may have been committed by a person, he may for purposes of an investigation of that offence authorise an investigating officer to exercise the following: Investigate and inspect any bank account or other account of whatever description or kind and any bank book of or relating to the person named or otherwise identified in the authority.  It also gives the commissioner the power to request from any person production of any accounts, books or company book, relating to a certain person and take original or certified true copies of any accounts, books or documents. Meanwhile, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) recently obtained an order compelling Mabuza and his company to furnish the police with details of accounts of the eight officers from His Majesty Correctional Services held with Baceth Investments.

The order directing Mabuza to furnish the police with the account details came after the police moved an application in terms of Section 49b (1) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act of 67/1938. In the application for the order, the court was informed that the documents were needed as part of the criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the smuggling of cellphones. On December 10, 2021, Mabuza was found with two cellphones inside the Matsapha Maximum Prison. The legislator was reportedly found with the gadgets during a random search, which was conducted by HMCS officers at the Matsapha Maximum Prison. It is said the officers then confisticated the cellphones and the matter was reported to the management, and  this led to the office of the commissioner general appointing a select team to probe how the gadgets got to Mabuza.

Cellphones

The findings of the task team would determine who would be charged for the offence, as cellphones were prohibited within the area designated for inmates. Just after the discovery of the cellphones, there was a brief investigation which was conducted by the Correctional Facility warders, wherein there were allegations that the gadgets were smuggled into the facility allegedly by some of the people who frequently visited Mabuza. There were also suspicions that the MP allegedly received assistance from some of the officers. In a recent statement issued by his legal team, Mabuza confirmed knowledge of the two cellphones that were found in his possession.

In the statement, Mabuza stated that the cellphones belonged to him and he used them for three purposes, mainly to communicate with his suppliers, his employees and family members.  He disclosed that the numbers contained therein were of the aforementioned people. He went on to assure his family, his constituency, his colleagues and all emaSwati that the allegations that high ranking officers from HMCS facilitated  his getting of the cellphones were not  only false but political motivated.

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