Lekhetho Ntsukunyane
PROMINENT Lesotho businessman, Edward Poone, was arrested in Kimberley, South Africa, on Friday last week for allegedly illegally dealing in diamonds.
Mr Poone briefly appeared before the Kimberly Magistrate’s Court on Monday this week, alongside 26 other suspected illegal diamond dealers.
All the 27 suspects were released on bail of between M30 000 and R500 000.
Captain Paul Ramaloko, the spokesperson for South Africa’s special crime-prevention unit, the Hawks, on Tuesday told the Lesotho Times that the suspects were alleged to be part of “an international syndicate involved in illicit diamond trade.”
Captain Ramaloko added: “Nineteen suspects were arrested on Friday last week in Gauteng, Northern Cape, Free State and North West provinces for allegedly being involved in illegal diamond trade. Following the operation by the Hawks, eight more suspects were arrested on Monday this week, bringing the total number of arrests to 27.
“We have been working on this for over a year in conjunction with the diamond industry. The Hawks received a tip-off about the illicit trading of diamonds here in South Africa, resulting in this operation which is still in progress. We expect to make more arrests as the operation continues.”
According to Captain Ramaloko, diamonds, cash, guns and some documents were seized during the operation.
Mr Poone, who reportedly lives in Ha-Thetsane, Maseru, is said to jointly own Florio-Poone Diamonds CC based in Kimberly, alongside Ms Antonella Florio-Poone.
The company reportedly trades in rough diamonds and has been in operation since 2006, according to its website.
Meanwhile, according to South African media reports, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources has called for very harsh sentences for the suspects if convicted.
“Parliament has been pushing for a law that would include harsh punishment for those found guilty of illegal mining, as these activities have seen the emergence of gangsters and led to the loss of many lives,” the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported online.
Comments are closed.