Department of International Relations looking into case of ‘drug-smuggler’ diplomat
NOW that South African High Commissioner to Singapore Hazel Francis Ngubeni’s criminal record for drug smuggling has been exposed‚ the Department of International Relations and Cooperation is deciding how to proceed.Spokesperson Clayson Monyela told TMG Digital on Monday that: "The Department is attending to the matter and, following due process, an announcement will be made."On Sunday The Sunday Times reported that the diplomat spent two years in prison in the US after smuggling a bag of cocaine into that country in 1999.She did not disclose the conviction when she was nominated for the high commissioner position in 2013‚ and the conviction was not picked up by the State Security Agency during its vetting.Ngubeni committed the crime while working as a South African Airways cabin attendant‚ the airline told the weekly newspaper.In a separate incident in 1995‚ Ngubeni was charged with bringing 9kg of heroin into SA from Thailand. She was acquitted after a key witness opted not to tes...
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