Staff Reporter
MASERU — The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) investigators might end up in Mauritius as they follow the money trail in the Identity Document (ID) scandal, the Sunday Express can reveal.
The investigators want to verify the evidence they got during an interview with a man who is alleged to have played a part in distributing bribe money from Nikuv International Projects to several government officials.
The man, only identified as Makoa, is alleged to have been one of the agents Nikuv used to pay the bribes.
He is based in Johannesburg.
The DCEO has information that the bribes given to government officials came via accounts in Mauritian banks.
Nikuv is cooperating with DCEO officers who are investigating allegations that the company paid bribes to state officials to get the M298 million ID tender last year.
The DCEO interviewed Makoa in Pretoria last week in an interrogation that sources say lasted several hours.
Makoa is understood to have handed over some documents showing the trail the bribe money followed before it was paid to state officials in Lesotho.
The investigators also interviewed Yehuda Danziger, an Israeli based in Lesotho, who is alleged to have also distributed the bribes. Danziger could not be reached for comment.
A source close to the issue has told the Sunday Express that following those interviews DCEO investigators are now considering going to Mauritius to verify the information they got from Makoa and Yehuda.
“They want to verify if Makoa is being totally honest, they cannot just take his word for it,” said the source.
Since late last year the anticorruption unit has been interviewing people allegedly linked to the scandal.
Those interviewed include Nikuv officials, Democratic Congress deputy leader Monyane Moleleki and Lesotho Congress for Democracy MP Pashu Mochesane.
However, it does not mean that those interviewed are being treated as suspects.
Some of the people like Moleleki, this paper heard this week, were called because the DCEO wanted to verify some information.
Pashu was interviewed because he is alleged to have been one of the agents that distributed the money.
He has however denied that he was ever interviewed by the DCEO.
In June the police arrested a man who is alleged to have been one of the agents that distributed the bribes.
Makoatla Molatuoa, 39, is accused of trying to bribe DCEO principal investigation officer Tsotang Likotsi with M10 000.
The prosecution says Molatuoa wanted Likotsi to destroy “a case of corruption and money laundering relating to the National Identity and e-passport project”.
A taxi owner, Molatuoa is also the Democratic Congress’ secretary for Hlotse constituency.
Police spokesperson Masupha Masupha said Molatuoa was arrested in a police trap.
This was after that Likotsi had alerted the police about Molatuoa’s bribe offer.
He was arrested at the Pioneer Mall’s Wimpy restaurant just after he had handed the money to Likotsi.