M50 million fraud suspect rearrested after bail

MASERU – LEHLOHONOLO Selate, who is suspected to have defrauded the government of M50 million in 2021, was rearrested immediately after he was granted bail on Monday.

The police said Selate was wanted in connection with yet another fraud case where he is alleged to have defrauded a local bank of M300 000. He is also accused of fleecing the government’s bursary scheme of another M500 000.

thepost has withheld the name of the bank until the police have formally charged Selate in court.

Selate had been granted bail by Chief Magistrate ’Matankiso Nthunya when he appeared for the initial case.

Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli said Selate is expected to appear in court this week in connection with the fresh charges.

He said Selate was picked up in connection with the two charges shortly after the court had released him on bail.

“We are just putting ends together for the investigations,” S/Supt Mopeli said.

“Once we have wrapped up the investigations, he will be dragged to court probably this week,” he said.

S/Supt Mopeli said they have uncovered that Selate had fraudulently taken documents of his employees to the bank as though they had applied for loans amounting to M300 000 when they had never applied for any loans.

Police have not released the number of employees involved in the scandal.

They have also not disclosed the name of the company locked in the syndicate.

But the company is an existing entity which is legally registered and operating in the country, S/Supt Mopeli said.

S/Supt Mopeli said the employees got the shock of their lives when they saw their salaries being deducted by the bank yet they knew that they had not applied for any loans.

Selate is also facing a charge of defrauding the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) a whopping M500 000.

S/Supt Mopeli said Selate was fraudulently transferring money from the NMDS account to his.

He said the police are still investigating how Selate managed to transfer the money from the NMDS’s bank account to his.

Put together, Selate could have defrauded the government and the banks of over M800 000.

The NMDS has lost millions of money through crime syndicates which also involve its employees.

The case in which Chief Magistrate Nthunya granted Selate bail is a M50 million fraud involving the Ministry of Finance together with Ntšeliseng Lawrence, Mookho Rafono, Tlali Mokoaleli,

Thabang Nkoe, Hlabathe Phafoli, and Thithili Makhesi.

His fellow accused were each released on M5 000 bail and 100 000 surety in 2021.

But Chief Magistrate Nthunya at the time denied Selate bail.

Selate and his co-accused allegedly siphoned M50 million from the state’s purse through a well-orchestrated scheme.

These fraud suspects allegedly inflated and diverted payments meant for suppliers to themselves and their phony companies which had not rendered any services to the state.

The fraud was facilitated by various officials at the Ministry of Finance.

Part of the M50 million was repatriated from South African banks while some had already been used.

Majara Molupe