‘Mantšali Phakoana
A Mafeteng businessman of Indian origin, Walim Ashraf (41), has been detained at the Maseru Maximum Prison after he failed to pay M500 000 bail in a case which he is accused of stealing M7, 298, 071. 34 million from Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL) and money-laundering.
Ashraf was dragged to the Maseru Magistrate Court by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) on Tuesday this week. He remained behind bars after failing to pay the bail and getting someone to offer surety of immovable property worth M1 000 000 on his behalf.
Ashraf is also a citizen of India and South Africa. He awaits his trial scheduled for September 5, 2023.
The funds according to the charge-sheet had been meant to pay the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) for units bought by clients through Econet’s EcoCash platform, SASAI, but allegedly fraudulently ended up in Ashraf’s bank account on May 8, 2023.
“In that upon or about the 5th May 2023 and at or near Econet Telecom Lesotho in Maseru, the said accused did unlawfully and intentionally steal M7, 298, 071. 34 belonging to Econet Telecom Lesotho,” the charge-sheet reads.
It further noted that the same day, Ashraf deliberately made false representations to Econet Telecom Lesotho Pty Ltd (ETL) that he was ‘Makarabelo Mosuoane, an employee of LEC.
Ashraf allegedly wrote an email to Econet’s Tankiso Pholosi, informing her that the account number into which payments for EcoCash electricity purchases (SASAI Econet Financial Services) were to be made, had been changed from Standard Lesotho Bank account number; 9080003225255 to First National Bank (FNB) account number; 62770427138 held in Mafeteng district and belonging to him, as the owner of Beaty Center.
Pholosi therefore acted on such representations to ETL’s detriment in that she paid an amount of M7,298, 071, 34 into the newly provided FNB account number. The case was before Magistrate Lerato Ntelane and prosecuted by DCEO Prosecutor Mponeng Ranthithi. Advocate Kabelo Letuka was representing the accused.
