ECSPONENT LOSS: WARRANT OF ARREST ISSUED - AG

LOBAMBA – The attorney general (AG) has told Parliament that there is a warrant of arrest against individual/s allegedly associated with the missing E335 million Ecsponent investments.

On the other hand, the police say they can neither confirm nor deny any existence of a warrant of arrest. According to the recommendations of the select committee appointed by the House of Assembly to scrutinise and analyse the Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr (CDH) INC Forensic Report on the lost millions through Ecsponent investment scheme, two names, being that of Zimbabwean-born George Manyere and Dave van Niekerk constantly come up in the report and are linked to the companies that are cited in the missing millions.

Individuals

These individuals were both met by the committee members, in-person. The select committee met Manyere in the Parliament conference room, while Van Niekerk was met at Pretoria, in South Africa. According to submissions that were made in Parliament by members of the committee, the Minister for Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, played a significant role in facilitating the meeting. According to the Members of Parliament (MPs), the reason they met Van Niekerk in South Africa was because he feared being arrested in Eswatini, because he learnt that law enforcers wanted to arrest him.

Last Thursday, the committee was criticised by some MPs, including Phondo MP Bonginkosi Dube, for meeting these individuals without alerting the police. There was confusion in the House about whether there was a warrant of arrest against any of the individuals that were met by the committee. The AG, Sifiso Mafelenkhosini Khumalo, confirmed to the House that the individuals were suspects. He also stated that there is an existing warrant of arrest.

“I do not know whether I should state in this House if there is a warrant of arrest or not, but as far as I know, there is a warrant of arrest,” he said. The AG also explained during the session that a warrant of arrest should be initiated by the police. Other MPs, who included Somntongo MP Sandile Nxumalo, said if there is a warrant of arrest against Van Niekerk, which has led him to meet the committee in South Africa, what was difficult for law enforcers to place him on Interpol. The Somntongo MP criticised government for being too relaxed about the issue and failing emaSwati along the way.

Noteworthy, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), which is entrusted with initiating arrests, denied any existence of a warrant of arrest against Van Niekerk. This was after it was reported by our sister publication the Times Sunday that he was seen rubbing shoulders with high-ranking government officials. Yesterday, after the AG’s response in Parliament, the National Commissioner (NATCOM) of  Police, Vusi Masango, was asked by this newspaper on the status or existence of a warrant of arrest against Van Niekerk or Manyere. His response was that such information could not be shared with the public. “I have consulted with my team and at the moment we cannot say anything, as a lot of things are at stake. We are at a critical stage. To divulge any information could jeopardise our investigation,” he said.

Investors

On Thursday, the House resolved that the investors should decide which method they felt best suits them in terms of recovering their money. There was a concern that many investors, especially the elderly, might not live long enough to see the conclusion of the legal process, given that 81 out of over 1 000 investors have already passed away. The second option is for the House to assign the minister for Finance, working with the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE) governor, to set in motion a model that will get all the two major stakeholder’s companies on the matter involving Manyere and Van Niekerk; Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and others, to at least, pay back the principal amounts invested by the investors into Ecsponent Eswatini.  The House gave the minister for Finance three months to recover the funds if the investors choose the second option.

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