FORMER Liqhobong Mine Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stuart Michael Brown last week appeared before the Maseru Magistrate Court to face charges of fraud in relation to the awarding of a mining tender to a company that was allegedly not registered in Lesotho.

Mr. Brown, who stepped down from the post of CEO and Director at Liqhobong Mine on 30 June this year, was hauled to the courts by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO). He was charged along with Basil Read Mining and he was released on M50 000 bail.

The DCEO accuses Mr. Brown of misrepresenting to the Liqhobong Mine board that Basil Read Mining was registered in Lesotho, resulting in the latter being awarded a tender to carry out open pit mining operations in Lesotho.

The DCEO contends that Mr. Brown was fully aware that Basil Read Mining was not registered in Lesotho and the misrepresentation by Mr. Brown resulted in the company being awarded the tender on 28 June 2017.

The fraudulent acts were allegedly committed by Mr. Brown in concert with Basil Read Mining after Liqhobong Mine published a notice inviting expressions of interests to tender for a contract to carry out open pit mining operations for Liqhobong Mine in October 2015.