Swazi Observer

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GOVT INVESTIGATING CAUSE OF DOCUMENTS LEAK - ALPHEOUS

By PHEPHILE MOTAU | 2024-04-22

Government Spokesperson, Alpheous Nxumalo, says the prime minister has assured the nation that investigations have been initiated to ascertain how privileged information was leaked or stolen.

Nxumalo issued the statement following the series of articles titled ‘Swazi Secrets’ by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which is based on an alleged leak of more than 890 000 internal records from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU).

According to the ICIJ, the documents were obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a non-profit organisation devoted to publishing and archiving leaks, which shared them with the ICIJ.

ICIJ said it coordinated a team of 38 journalists across 11 countries to explore the documents.
The ICIJ said the documents include bank records, police investigation reports, court affidavits, and confidential exchanges between government agencies within southern Africa.

The records also include details about banks in African countries and beyond that have facilitated financial transactions for people and companies suspected of criminal activity.

Nxumalo said the 800 000 plus documents stolen by some neo-colonialism agencies masquerading as journalists was nothing more than a crude propaganda and onslaught against both the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Eswatini and its sovereign interests.

“Among many of the objectives of the publishing of these stolen documents was to hurt the prestige and taint the good image of the individuals concerned. Government condemns in the strongest terms possible and rejects entirely all the contents contained therein,” he said.
Nxumalo said Eswatini was not for sale even to the highest bidder.

He added that the government was determined to continue to defend the country's sovereignty and its integrity with all resources and arsenal at the country’s disposal.

“These stolen documents will not deter or derail us from protecting the country from those who are hell - bent to destroy its good image and good standing with international partners and friends within the international community,” Nxumalo said.

He said there was no amount of misinformation, misrepresentation, and misconceptions that would make the government to relent from defending, explaining, protecting and advancing the development agenda of the country as emaswati drive His Majesty's vision to attain a first world status.

Nxumalo said no amount of defamatory propaganda that would ever cause the country to look back.

“We have the best infrastructure and the best institutions for economic and financial activities in this country in comparison with many other countries around the globe. We are happy and we are a country with a hard- working citizenry,” Nxumalo said.

He said those whose focus was to perforate negative narratives about the country and leadership with a view or hope to threaten national interests, must think again.

“The continued publication of the stolen or leaked documents remains a heinous crime punishable in law. His Excellency the Right Honourable Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has promised serious consequences as investigations intensify as to how such privileged information contained in some of the documents were leaked or stolen.

Watch the space,” Nxumalo said.
His warning comes after the Council of the National Task Force on Anti-Money Laundering reminded the public of its role on protecting the integrity of the nation’s financial system.

Consists
The Council, which consists of several institutions, implement their respective legislative and practical measures to ensure compliance with international and regional Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the financing of terrorism standards.

“These institutions’ combined mandates contribute significally to safeguarding the integrity of the country’s financial system.

As members, we are dedicated to fulfiling our responsibilities with the utmost professionalism, ethical conduct, and adherence to both our mandates and internationally recognised best practices,” stated the Task Team in a statement.

The Task Team stated that it was committed to financial integrity and operate under strict and reliable financial system.

“We note that some of the published stories on the alleged leaked information imply that there is an inability among the institutions mandated to address financial crime in Eswatini, yet its content, if accurate, confirm the opposite.

Public commentators, who have analysed these published stories on the alleged leaked information, affirm that these institutions work without interference.”

It further stated that its unwavering commitment to ethical conduct-strict regulations and confidentiality has ensured the country’s smooth integration with global financial systems.
“We urge all our stakeholders to engage with us openly.

“We are confident in our abilities to fulfil our mandates, working together to safeguard confidential information and ensure the continued strength and integrity of Eswatini’s financial system.

“This, in turn, protects the kingdom’s overall economic wellbeing,” read the statement.
Stakeholders and the nation were urged to remain calm as the relevant structures addressed the issue of the alleged leaked information.

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