HAWKS AND LESOTHO MOUNTED POLICE SERVICE COLLABORATION NETS THREE

Picture: Hawks Logo

By: Staff Reporter

The relationship of mutual interest between South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and Lesotho Mounted Police Service is growing in leaps and bounds.

Another stride was made on Monday, 26, when three accused appeared before the Ficksburg Magistrates' Court for fraud and money laundering worth about R57 million allegedly stolen from Lesotho's Central Bank in 2021.

Traggulogy (Pty) Ltd, its director Uthando Lorraine Modise (37), and Marcious Lerato Lisene (37) were arrested on the same day 26 February, day on warrants of arrest.

The accused are South Africans.

Bloemfontein based Priority Crime Specialised Investigation (PCSI) was requested by their counterparts in Lesotho to trace money defrauded at 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 are already before court in Lesotho.

With the help of the Financial Intelligence Centre, it was established that money was 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.

Free State Head of the Hawks, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba is pleased by the growing collaboration to curb cross-border crime, especially complex money laundering involving multiple accounts in different countries.