UK firm accused of Lesotho bribes

By Martin Plaut
BBC News

The project is one of Africa's largest worth billions of dollars

A British company has been accused of bribing two senior Lesotho officials linked to a hydroelectric engineering project to supply South Africa.

Two senior officials, Reatile Mochebelele and Letlafuoa Molapo, are accused of receiving payments.

One of the payments included $147,000 (£74,908; 111,412 euros) paid by UK engineering firm Mott MacDonald.

This is the first time a British company has been accused of bribing officials connected to the scheme.

Previously a number of international companies have been convicted of bribing officials linked to the project.

A forensic audit carried out by the auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers provides details of the money allegedly paid by Mott MacDonald to two of the Lesotho government's representatives on the scheme.

Billion dollar contracts

Mott MacDonald is accused of paying the money as part of a consortium led by a German company, Lahmeyer.

Lahmeyer has already been found guilty of corruption and barred from undertaking any projects for the World Bank for the next seven years, unless it co-operates fully with the Bank in disclosing its misconduct.

Lahmeyer has now agreed to help the investigation of the allegations involving Mott MacDonald.

Mott MacDonald have not commented on the allegations.

The Lesotho Highlands project is the world's largest water transfer scheme, involving the construction of five massive dams, hundreds of miles of tarmacked roads, bridges and electricity transfer stations.

Contracts worth billions of dollars were at stake.

The Lesotho chief executive of the scheme has already been found guilty, and sentenced to 15 years in jail.

But the tiny kingdom has been one of the few African states not only willing to prosecute its own officials, but also the Western companies who paid the bribes.