ACC ropes in RSTP in passports scandal
µµWhen someone tampers with a system, there is no other way to get to the bottom of that case without us. We are the technicians in the system and Home Affairs is among the users.”
MBABANE ± Heads are rolling This resonates well with the latest developments in the investigations into fraudulent activities in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The latest developments are to the effect that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has cast its net further in the investigation into fraudulent activities at the ministry and this was necessitated by previous arrests made by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), of individuals who were found in possession of diplomatic passports, despite that they did not qualify.
Some of the individuals were found to be foreigners and the ACC reportedly instituted an internal investigation in the ministry to ascertain if there were officers who were involved in granting the passports illegally.
It has been reported that as the ACC continued with its investigation, it was discovered that in the system, the information on who had printed the passports had been deleted.
Reliable sources have confided that the ACC engaged the RSTP based on the fact that it is the one that controls the systems if the making of passports and other documents.
RSTP, it was gathered, has what is known as the administrative rights and there are officers who are able to find the documents since there are footprints that are in the system.
The RSTP system is able to determine that an officer presented the documents and this is made possible through the use of the IP address of the computer that was used.
It has been alleged that there were suspicions that there could be officers who wiped out some of the evidence and the RSTP has to come in to re-assemble the needed data.
The RSTP will be able to ascertain the officers who have access to the machines where the information needed was stored and these will be expect to provide answers on who deleted.
The Times SUNDAY has gathered that the ACC wrote a letter to the RSTP recently.
RSTP Chief Executive Officer Vumile Dlamini could not deny nor confirm that a letter had been sent by the ACC.
Instead, the CEO said in the event that the ACC needed the assistance, his office was ready to assist.
“When someone tampers with a system, there is no other way to get to the bottom of that case without us. We are the technicians in the system and Home Affairs is among the users,” he said.
He explained that the RSTP had the capability to assist when such incidents occur and that such was in line with the mandate of the parastatal as it was responsible for all the information and technology (IT) that belongs to government.
“Our mandate is not a secret. All that we do is engage the technicians who are responsible for such things. We have data-based admins who are responsible and have a capability and rights to ascerPhakathi tain who logged in, when and what they did,” he said.
When cornered if the ACC had approached them, Dlamini said his office would never disclose details that pertain to the work of the ACC as he believed that such had the potential of disturbing investigations.
“All that I can is that we have no problem in complying whenever an entity like the ACC seeks our assistance because we are running government infrastructure. The ACC has a right to approach us, especially on such issues as they touch on national security,” Dlamini said.
Meanwhile, the Director of ACC, Jabu Phakathi explained that the entity operated within the ambit of the law, which prohibited the disclosure of information or details of any person who was the subject of an enquiry or investigation.
cited Section 18 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 and then said: “Therefore, we can neither confirm nor deny if we are investigating Home Affairs”.
Worth noting is that MPs of both the 10th and 11th Parliament have on several occasions voiced out that the ACC was a toothless dog, yet it was allocated over E20 million each financial year.
The ACC has a three-pronged legal mandate of prevention, whereby it is supposed to examine practices and procedures and advice on ways of preventing corruption.
It also has an education role of empowering the public and private bodies and the general public on the forms and dangers of corruption
INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS
Furthermore, the ACC has the function of investigation which is to receive and investigate complaints of alleged or suspected corrupt practices made against any person, and refer appropriate cases to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
It should be noted that in 2022, it was reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs had instituted an internal probe into the sale of refugee status and passports to foreign nationals.
Police investigations reportedly found that there was a syndicate dealing in documentation status and refugee passports.
It was revealed that the syndicate charged between E30 000 and E50 000 for fresh and legal documents for any