Crooked South African Diplomat in Dubai Reprimanded, Recalled
The transgressing senior foreign official has his back to the wall.
It appears that South Africa’s tentacles of corruption have spread as far the UAE. The African nation’s Consul-General in Dubai - Mr. Andrew Lebona - has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yes, theis foreign administrative official has been recalled to Pretoria for violating security protocol and for indulging in other acts of malfeasance.
A report by the Sunday Times apparently blew the lid off Lebona’s involvement in a fraudulent scheme. According to the expose, the diplomat had been stage-managing the procurement of illegal visas for UAE nationals to enter South Africa. The gentleman’s modus operandi included arranging several break-ins at his office which he had feigned ignorance about.
Apart from the visa scam, the disgraced Lebona is also being investigated for using his diplomatic credentials to provide travel authority and free flight tickets for his son. This is a clear contravention of international diplomatic policy and does not warrant impunity. Now, the errant diplomatic has to face the music by appearing before South Africa’s foreign ministry, also known as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Shades of the 1989 Mel Gibson-starrer Lethal Weapon 2?
The embarrassing scam and misconduct has underlined the urgent need for more digital strictures and safeguards. Such is the concerted opinion of the African nation’s Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber. Mr. Shreiber added that comprehensive digital infrastructure must replace “paper-based and handwritten processes” to mitigate the occurrence of fraudulent activity in the foreign office. It is high time all concerned take heed and that this noble gentleman’s recommendation becomes reality. As for Mr. Lebona, it seems that he won’t be flying out of his home nation ever again and a cold jail cell might very well be awaiting him.
