Army General Drops Bombshell

(MENAFN- The Post) An army general says some of the witnesses testifying at the hearing on the alleged looting of Covid-19 funds will need to be protected or they could be in danger.

Major General Ramanka Mokaloba told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday that some witnesses with critical information on the alleged looting of Covid-19 funds could be targeted by those implicated in the corruption.

His chilling warning comes as the PAC is unravelling what is turning out to be a grand looting at the National Emergency Command Centre (NECC) and the subsequent National Covid-19 Secretariat (Nacosec).
Testimonies have so far revealed that some officials at the centre and the secretariat could have connived with suppliers to rig tenders and inflate the prices of goods and services.

They also reveal that Lesotho lost hundreds of millions to sleaze and wasteful expenditure when it was struggling to buy protective clothing and medicines to fight the pandemic.
Major General Mokaloba was responding to the committee's questions on allegations that the army could have contributed to the centre's excessive expenditure on food provided to security agencies.

The committee wanted to know how the centre ended up using over M16 million to buy food for soldiers patrolling the streets and the borders during the pandemic.
Major General Mokaloba hinted that some of the witnesses might be reluctant to name the ringleaders in the looting syndicates because they fear for their lives. He insinuated that their fear was genuine because some people had mysteriously died.

“My list shows me that there were“apparent” deaths in the cabinet's procurement department,” Major General Mokaloba said.

“There are serious issues in the procurement that may cause deaths and need careful handling and safety of witnesses that will be called here.”

“While these interrogations are going on please find out how best you can protect these witnesses because revealing the missing funds will bring a lot of confusion.”

He said those responsible for the procurement should tell the committee who instructed them to use certain suppliers and inflate food prices.
The Major General also told the committee that the security cluster at that time was suspicious of how some catering companies were hired and the prices they charged.

He however said only those involved in procurement at the centre could explain how some catering companies were allowed to charge double what the cabinet had approved.

He was talking about how some companies charged M200 per plate instead of the approved M100.
Major General Mokaloba also told the committee how some officials at the centre called them“stubborn” when they suggested using cheaper venues instead of renting Maseru Avani.

The security cluster had suggested moving the offices to Setsoto Stadium, the Co-operative College or Lehakoe Recreational Centre where the government was not going to pay rent.

On the M16 million used to buy dry rations for the army the police Major General Mokoloba said those responsible for procurement should answer.
The dry rations included tinned food, salted peanuts and fortified biscuits.

The provisions, mostly bought from small companies with little track record in working with the government, also included milk and fortified energy drinks.
Major General Mokaloba, said the security agencies should not be expected to answer about how the rations were procured because they were just recipients.
Assistant Commissioner Police (ACP) Ezekiel Senti, who was with Major General Mokaloba during the hearing, also requested the committee to seek answers from those involved in the procurement.

“We were just consumers, we know nothing about prices,” ACP Senti said.

Major General Mokaloba and ACP Senti also revealed how NACOSEC's human resources manager, Reatile Elias, tried to offer them jobs at the secretariat.
They said Elias offered them salaries of M90 000 per month but the security cluster refused after smelling a rat.

“One even wanted to recruit us, his name was Elias, and he knows nothing about security matters,” ACP Senti said.
“Instead of going to the hotel, we went to the Ministry of Defence.”

ACP Senti said their concern at the time was that funds could not be spent on other things in the middle of the pandemic when there was no oxygen and PPE in health facilities.”

The hearings continue next week.

Nkheli Liphoto

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