Lesotho Stone Enterprise has requested the minister of law to intervene in what it calls ‘the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences’ (DCEO) meddling in the company’s operations’.
The High Court of Lesotho last week ordered the preservation of the Lekokoaneng-based company’s assets, which include bank accounts, and place them under curatorship pending investigations of fraud and money laundering.
This after the DCEO revealed four Lesotho Stone Enterprises directors, Long Denggao, Pan Huang, Zhei Fengfu of Asian origin, and an unnamed Lesotho national, were suspected to have been involved in corruption and obtaining a mining lease illegally. The four are also alleged to have been involved in fraud, money laundering and bribery of high ranking officials.
In a letter to the minister of law, justice and constitutional affairs dated October 7 2020, one of the directors, Zhai Fengfu, said DCEO has for a long have been handling their affairs due to a former business partner and shareholder, Xie Yan (commonly known in Lesotho as John).
Lesotho Stone’s legal advisor, Thabang Letsie, told theReporter that, on October 5 in the afternoon, he and Fengfu received a call that the DCEO team and the police were at Decorat Art furniture manufacturers with a search warrant.
“They said some documents that could help in the investigation might be with one of the directors of Lesotho Stone Enterprise. We were surprised that despite them looking for Lesotho Stone issues, they had taken all Feng’s book of accounts and personal belongings such as his documents related to him staying in Lesotho. They repeatedly claimed cash amounting to approximately M50 000.00 and alleged big sums of money were hidden at our premises.”
