ACC INVESTIGATOR ARRESTED FOR DEMANDING E200 000 BRIBES

MBABANE – Assistant ACC investigator Bonginkhosi Dlamini allegedly demanded nearly E200 000 from the head teacher of Lusoti High School to not investigate him for reportedly misappropriating school funds.

The accused allegedly first demanded a E100 000 tender from the head teacher of Lusoti High School to stop his colleague from investigating him. He is also alleged to have demanded a cow from the Director of Operations of Eswatini Railways, Sandile Stanley Dlamini, to stop Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigators from instituting an investigation against him. Bonginkhosi was arrested by his colleagues on Thursday morning. He has been charged with four counts under the Prevention of Corruption Act No.3 of 2006 and two under the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act of 2011 as well as alternative extortion and attempted extortion charges. Deep Gold Investment (Pty) Ltd and Red Heart Investments (Pty) Ltd, where, in both, he is a co-director, are the second and third accused, respectively.  In the first count, Bonginkhosi is accused of contravening the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Purpose

He, with Deep Gold Investments, in furtherance of a common purpose, allegedly solicited an advantage from Lusoti High School Head teacher Thamsanqa Masuku, for the benefit of his Deep Gold Investments, to prevent ACC investigators from investigating him for purportedly stealing and misappropriating school funds. Bonginkhosi and Deep Gold Investments, according to the charge sheet, accepted E100 000 from the head teacher as an inducement or reward so that he would not be investigated by the ACC investigators. The offence was committed in July 2021 at Madonsa Township in the Manzini Region.

The first alternative charge to the first count is that in July 2021, at Madonsa Township, Bonginkhosi and Deep Gold Investments, directly or indirectly, demanded payment of a tender to supply goods valued at E100 000 to Lusoti High School to their benefit. This, according to the charge sheet, amounted to an abuse of Bonginkhosi’s position of authority, alternatively an act amounting to a breach of trust. The charge sheet states that, alternatively, the act amounted to a violation of a legal duty and/or set of rules of the said head teacher of Lusoti High School. The second alternative charge against Bonginkhosi and his company is extortion.

Also reportedly committed in July 2021 at Madonsa Township, the ACC assistant investigator and Director of Deep Gold Investments, acting individually or jointly in furtherance of a common purpose, intentionally inspired fear in the mind of Masuku. He is alleged to have threatened the head teacher by threatening to continue with the purported investigations of misappropriation and/or theft of school funds instituted by the ACC against him. He is said to have made the alleged threat that unless Masuku gave his company Deep Gold Investments (Pty) Ltd the tender to supply goods valued at E100 000, he would be investigated for misappropriating school funds.

Extorted

As a result of this act, Bonginkhosi and Deep Gold Investments are alleged to have extorted and obtained the payment of E100 000 from the head teacher. In the second charge, Bonginkhosi and his other company, Red Heart Investments, in September 2023, reportedly solicited an advantage from one of the Lusoti High School head teacher in the sum of E83 000 as an inducement to and/or reward for and/or otherwise on account of Bonginkhosi persuading his work colleagues to not continue with purported investigations instituted by the ACC against Masuku.

Alternatively, Bonginkhosi and Red Heard Investments were charged with extortion, which was committed in September 2023 at Lusoti High School in the Lubombo Region. Bonginkhosi is accused of threatening to let his colleagues investigate Masuku unless he paid E83 000 to Red Heart Investments, without the latter supplying goods or rendering any services to Lusoti High School. The charge sheet states that the accused and his company intentionally attempted to extort and obtain the payment of E83 000 from Masuku. In count three, in September 2023, Bonginkhosi allegedly accepted payment of a sum of E1 607 as inducement for the accused to persuade his colleagues not to continue with the purported investigations instituted by the ACC against Masuku.

In the fourth count, which was committed in February 2024 in Mbabane, Bonginkhosi allegedly demanded payment in the form of a cow from the Eswatini Railways Director of Operations, Sandile, for him to bar ACC investigators from investigating him. He was alternatively charged with attempted extortion in that he allegedly threatened Sandile that he would continue with the purported investigations against him unless he gave him the cow, approximately valued at E10 000. By doing so, he allegedly committed attempted extortion.

In the fifth count, he is charged for allegedly contravening the Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (Prevention) Act. He and Deep Gold Investments are said to have received payment of the sum of E100 000 from Masuku or Lusoti High School, which was deposited into his First National Bank Business cheque account 62677262025.  He is alleged to have thereby concealed and or disguised the true nature, origin, location, disposition, movement or ownership of money, well knowing that he had derived the payment from a wrongful and unlawful action. He was charged under the same Act in respect of the amount of E1 607, which he reportedly received from Masuku into his Standard Bank Unayo Account.

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