By Mbono Mdluli
MBABANE – Members of Parliament (MPs) who are also members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) want the Judiciary to disburse E85 million, which is said to have been paid as bail by people who had been suspects, but ended up being found innocent by the country’s courts.
This transpired on June 16, 2025 during a session of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was having a date with the Judiciary. During the session, the PAC was also informed that for some of the suspects who were later found to be innocent, it became difficult for them to claim the money.
Members of the PAC did not take kindly to the fact that some of the people who paid the bail could not claim the money. Somntongo MP Sandile Nxumalo said he was informed that some of those that had paid the bail could not claim it because it was difficult. “Some even run out of patience trying to get the money because it becomes difficult for them to claim the money,” Nxumalo said.
Nxumalo wanted to know why such a thing happened. Dvokodvweni MP Sifiso Shabalala also mentioned that this matter was becoming a problem and he was surprised to learn that the Judiciary was sitting with E80 million, while people were complaining that they did not get back the money they paid as bail. Zombodze Emuva MP Ntando Mkhonta wanted to know why the frequency in which people were paid back their bail money was slower than when the money was being paid as bail.
In response, different judicial officers who had appeared before the PAC explained that in most cases, the people who were supposed get back their money would not have proof that this was indeed their money. They informed the PAC that when bail was paid, suspects were given receipts to prove that the bail had been paid. When they were supposed to claim their money, they had to produce those receipts.
What became a challenge was that the receipts would have been lost by the time they were supposed to be given their money. Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane suggested that the Judiciary should issue announcements on the country’s media outlets, telling those who were supposed to get their money to collect what was due to them.
Zwane said he saw nothing difficult in implementing that task because the Judiciary knew who those people were and the department had their particulars.
