EV Cosmetics director cries foul
MASERU — A local businessman, Lebohang Ramone, is livid after claiming the police “clandestinely released” two Chinese nationals who swindled him of M600 000 worth of stock. Ramone, who is the director of EV Cosmetics, says the police arrested the two at Lakeside Hotel on February 17, 2013. He says the police promised to keep the two suspects at Pitso Ground overnight pending intervention by Trade Minister Temeki Tšolo and the Chinese ambassador Hu Dingxian.
But the next day, he says, the police went on to release the suspects behind his back. In a letter addressed to Minister of Police Prime Minister Thomas Thabane dated February 21, 2013, Ramone asked for the minister to intervene to recoup the losses he suffered in the botched business transaction. Ramone says he is now experiencing a serious cash flow problem in his business because of the transaction with the Chinese. “The two offered to distribute my products to their Chinese colleagues as they believed they could sell better than people who were already distributing my products,” Ramone said.
“The couple offered to sell my products in South Africa to their other Chinese businessmen.” He added: “They introduced me to one Chinese national who has businesses in South Africa whom they said I would be dealing with him when I export my products to South Africa.” Ramone said the new Chinese acquaintance promised that he would buy stock worth millions of rand. The new contact however disappeared when he asked questions about his businesses and when he wanted him to sign a business contract.
After his disappearance the first couple came back saying he could continue business with them and he agreed because they had in the past distributed his products. They had developed trust in each other to an extent that they even left their car in his care for some days. He made a mistake of giving them stock on credit, and they too, like that new contact they introduced to him, disappeared. This happened in August last year. “I contacted the South African police who said the deal was made in Lesotho so they could not help me,” he said.
“They warned me to stay away because (the Chinese man) might hurt me as he had made me go to Johannesburg twice and he never showed up for our meetings until I came back to Lesotho.” He said before Christmas last year he was informed that the two were in Bloemfontein. “I told the trade minister about the issue so that he could intervene in the matter. He asked me to write to him so that he could pass this matter to the Chinese ambassador. “The Chinese Ambassador told us that he could only interfere in this matter when he has proof that these were Chinese nationals,” he said.
But two weeks ago, Ramone got a tip-off that the two Chinese nationals were in Maseru and sent some of his employees to investigate. He said he then rushed to the Pitso Ground police and reported the matter with the hope that the Chinese would be arrested. The two suspects were then detained by the police only to “escape” under questionable circumstances. Police spokesperson Masupha Masupha said Ramone had reported that he had been swindled of M250 000 and not M600 000 as now claimed. He also said the police could not arrest the Chinese nationals because there was no criminal offence in the business transaction with EV Cosmetics.
Masupha said this is a civil matter. “It should be clear the Chinese did not escape from lawful arrest,” Masupha told the Lesotho Times. “Police could not arrest those people as this was a civil matter and it would be illegal.” He however said the police were investigating how the couple left the police station especially with reports that they had used fake currency to pay their bill at the hotel.
Comment by juliet on 28 February 2013:
mora Ramone empa these people ha ba u utsoetsa akere! business deal gone wrong!
Comment by LEKHOARA on 28 February 2013:
bona liakhente mora Ramone.
Comment by Litjobo on 28 February 2013:
Tlohelang ho etsa business le machina hleng batho. Hase mofuta o ka t’sepahalang ka tsela efe kapa efe ke li femeng, supermarkets ha ho moo ho lokileng ke machina.
Comment by LOBENGULA on 28 February 2013:
It is a criminal offence to steal from someone under false pretence. It is a fact that Chinese are treated with kid gloves by Lesotho Police and the question is why? The fact also that Masupha does not know how these people were released from police custody after using fake currency to settle their account at a local hotel shows how shoddy, useless and corrupt our police is. We should therefore not fall into a trap of thinking Mr Ramone is stupid; this is a man who is running a legitimate business and doing all it takes to legally increase sales and he must be assisted where he has been wronged.
Comment by Tlhase on 28 February 2013:
Someone who understands legal issues, please help me understand how this is a civil case/matter! Someone has committed Fraud or theft and I understand that the state must investigate and if found that there is case to answer, the Crown must take up the case and initiate charges of Fraud or theft.
Comment by LEKHOARA on 28 February 2013:
@Tlhase please deposit a consultation fee of M1, 000.00 in the a/c No. 220987123491 ABSA and fax the deposit slip to 22614402, then I will provide you with an explanation.
Comment by Lepati on 28 February 2013:
Monna heso Ramone, I know you as an intelligent young man, don’t let yourself to be fouled by the crooks who promise you quick cash. Appraise any transaction you want to enter into intelligently, otherwise you will be swindled your hard earned money by unscrupulous business partners.
Comment by Tlhase on 28 February 2013:
There you go! Lekhoara trying to defraud me of my hard earned money! Ntate a re nyoletse ka 6% feela! Ha kena bonnete ba hore o tla mpha information kamora deposit eo. O so ts’oana le ona Machaena ana! At least the bloggers can bear witness.
Comment by kereke on 28 February 2013:
li hloalekhoara, find ways to move on the bible is the way… the truth u shall find in there. God protects those who listen to his word. Take time Mr Ramone to examine your ways… and all shall be revealed. All we can say is sorry. civil case will only take years but that is a way to start. having made a report the police should investigate whether a charge of fraud alternatively theft can stand. it it cannot the issue summons and that it is. u are a good businessman, but tough times call for desperate measures. do not be desperate u wont succeed if u do. act calmly and do not run to the media u’ll just put yourself on the platter for criticism.
Comment by LEKHOARA on 28 February 2013:
@Tlhase, these days things are done electronically e.g. e-business, e-learning, e-communication e.t.c. ts’ela chelete ntate haeba o batla tsebo.
Comment by Tlhase on 28 February 2013:
Haaibo Lekhoara. Li hloa Lekhoara e le kannete. I suppose e-Fraud or e-Fraudsters, e-Cheats falls under the electronic category as well. LoL!
Comment by Academic on 28 February 2013:
wht exactly did these people steal????????????? Che Lesotho Times
Comment by Sanko on 1 March 2013:
Academic? What csn they steal from a cosmetics business? Or does the word cosmetic not ring a little bell in some vaccuum between your ears?
Comment by Academic on 1 March 2013:
@Sanko please work on ur abreviation skills coz i have no idea wht u are saying
Comment by Aupa on 1 March 2013:
Academic u realy dumb! 4rm my undrstnd chinese took stock 4rm our dear 4rnd n nva repaid. Simple n straight forward. N u lekhoara find straight ways of makn money do u expect tlhase 2 pay u dt much!!! People whn u bored play cards or do smthn w wna read news nt childish comments.
Comment by Sanko on 1 March 2013:
Dear Academic, there are no abbreviations in my comments that were directed to you. To make it easier for you, the company that was defrauded is EV Cosmetics, which immediately tells you what kind of goods they trade with. Of course with so much vaccum between ears, you will still question “what did the chinese steal?”
Comment by Mofumahali on 1 March 2013:
Aupa get a life…go and be serious koana. mona re nts’a stress. ha u sa rate comment dont read, go kiss a shark or something.
Comment by Khothometsa on 1 March 2013:
Hae! U pple r funny u knw? Ke hore ntoa ea Ramone le machaena le e fetotse ea lona.
Comment by hama on 2 March 2013:
This is a marvelous business case study,right at home,ho feta tsena tseo re li balang libukeng.Ntho ke e rata ke hore e etsahetse ka motho ea balileng.
Ntate ha ke u tsehe ka tsietsi,empa ke re hona ke leseli ho rona basotho kamoo re etsang busines a teng,ha ho any
documentation/contract re sebetsa ka ho tsepa hore motho u tla tsepahala.
Qetello ke rapela feela hore khoebo ena ea hau ntate Ramonne u mpe fase hoba some opportunistics se ntse ba sheba the weak points haholo ho bona chelete tse boleloang mona.Serious money!!!
Comment by tswene on 2 March 2013:
Phepi Ramone monna eso, kea u utloela empa tona-kholo ea rona ha re mokhetha o ne a ile a re tshepisa ho sireletsa khahlanong le Machaena ‘me se re mokopa hore a mpe a phethahatse taba eo ea hae ho tloha hona mona.
Comment by KOATA on 5 March 2013:
Mr Ramone ke ne ke lebelletse hore ha o hlaha o tla bo re bo lella hore na mapolesa a ha kae ka li patlisiso tsa lefu la mosali oa hao ea bolauoeng ka sehlooho mpilo maria lemong se fetileng kapa eo eona ha o na thahasello ea eona,haeba ho iphapanya hona ha hao ke hoba o tseba letho ka polao eo e malimabe,hona ke li nyane likholo li sa o tlela.
Comment by Sanko on 5 March 2013:
He banna Koata uena monna u leka ho reng? He ha le ts’abe ho kena kahare ngoana monna. Hlokomela ba se u hatise masepa a manemane.
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