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Collaboration to curb cross-border crime between South Africa and Lesotho grew with leaps and bounds with the arrest of two people accused in a case of money laundering amounting to about R57 million.
The Free State head of the South African Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Maj. Gen. Mokgadi Bokaba, said the relationship of mutual interest between the Hawks and the Lesotho Mounted Police Service was strenghened when accused were arrested on Monday, 26 February.
Uthando Lorraine Modise (37), the director of Traggulagy (Pty) Ltd, and Marcious Lerato Lisene (37) appeared in the Ficksburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of fraud and money laundering.
The accused are South Africans.
The Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) unit in Bloemfontein was requested by its counterparts in Lesotho to trace money worth around R57 million defrauded from the Central Bank of Lesotho and transferred to different South African companies.
This crime was committed with the assistance of Lesotho officials who, after intercepting vouchers meant for legitimate service providers, diverted payments to their co-conspirators in South Africa.
Some of these officials have already appeared in court in Lesotho.
With the help of the Financial Intelligence Centre, it was established that money had been channeled to a South African bank under different company accounts.
The accused will be back in the same court on 13 March to apply for bail.
Bokaba said she was pleased with the growing collaboration to curb cross-border crime, especially complex money laundering involving multiple accounts in different countries.
