Police drop charges against Moleleki

MASERU — The investigation into former minister Monyane Moleleki financial affairs seems to have collapsed on Tuesday after the police abruptly dropped an application seeking to keep his accounts frozen.

For the past three months the police and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) have been investigating the Democratic Congress (DC) deputy leader for alleged corruption and money laundering.

Accounts of an orphanage he controls have been frozen and his house raided.

At one time it seemed the net was closing in on him.

But the decision on Tuesday to drop the case seems to indicate that the investigation has floundered.

Despite the raid and the freezing of the accounts the police seem to have so far failed to find enough evidence to charge Moleleki.

That means for now Moleleki is off the hook.

Yet the police can still continue with their investigation.

In the meantime he can continue to transact in the four accounts which were the subject of the investigation.

The police’s decision also comes at a cost because they will have to pay Moleleki’s legal costs which run into more than M100 000.

His lawyer Salemane Phafane KC told the Lesotho Times that the Attorney General Tšokolo Makhethe had withdrawn the case against him.

“Today the Attorney General says they have withdrawn their case of freezing the accounts, we accepted,” Phafane said.

“The crown will also pay the costs.”

Phafane said the crown never disclosed their reasons for withdrawing the case.

“We have always maintained that there was no case.”

A jubilant Moleleki told the Lesotho Times that the fact that the case had been dropped vindicates his position that the probe was “politically motivated.”

He alleged that the police had been instructed by cabinet to freeze his accounts in an effort to discredit him and destabilise the DC.

Moleleki described the investigation as a witch-hunt.

The four accounts held at First National Bank have M38 000, over M40 000, M500 000 and M2.8 million.

They were frozen on July 27 following an order granted by a Maseru magistrate ’Makopano Taole from the DCEO.

After Moleleki’s four bank accounts with the First National Bank and Nedbank were frozen, Moleleki filed an application in the High Court and the matter was supposed to proceed on Tuesday.

But the case was held in chambers.

The police suspected the accounts were used in a manner detrimental to the government.

But after Moleleki argued through his lawyer that one of the accounts was used by the orphans and that they would suffer, the court ordered it be unfrozen.

The orphanage account which holds M500 000 was unfrozen on August 15.

The police suspected that the former minister could have used the orphanage to launder money allegedly stolen from the government.

In their application the police had alleged that if the accounts were not frozen the government would “suffer irreparable harm”.

Senior Inspector Mahlomola Mothae, who sought the order, told Taole he suspected the accounts were used in a manner “detrimental to the government”.

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There Are 57 Responses So Far. »

  1. You suspect, you investigate to gather evidence , ensure you have a water – tight case and then act. Ebe hoa khorohuoa?
    Ea ba Le-Ethipia joale le ee? Ho etsahalang ka Investigation Lesotho?
    Hoa makatsa Lesotho mona li case li discussoa mediang le pele li qala. Ho na le batho ba misplaced post tsa bona hoba fuba tsa bona li rahuoe ke Tonki.

  2. Ke hlile ka tseba esale nako hore Moleleki otla tsoa feela moono,
    1. Ona le batho ba hae makhotleng
    2. office ea ‘muso ea tsa molao ke ea Moleleki
    3. Mapolesa amang a thusa ‘moleleki’
    Hofihlela ho lokisitsoe makhotleng moono le monghali Makhethe le Thetsane ba lebohile mosebetsi, mapolesa a tlohele ho qosa MaDC khotla hobane ‘muso otla patala o sa qete. empa kea tseba ‘muso ona oa makhomeletso otla ‘ne o itsoelle pele fela hobane khale baoratang ba o eletsa.

  3. Patlo!!! Fochooooo!! U ba ebotse hloho tsena Mahaletere.

  4. Mothae ke Akhente ea Lefokisi e joang e selehe hakana?. Batho hloloa ho etsa a mere investigation sis!. Le sentse case ea Le–Ithopia le boetse le sentse case ea Mahaletere?

    Ka hla ka bona ho tloha sethatong tsela eo Mapolesa a sebelitseng taba ena ka booatla ka teng. Stupid LMPS!. Ke ipotsa feela hore na ho etsoa a case map pele lipatlisiso li ka thakholoa kapa le khoroha feela? Stupid LMPS. Joale bonang ‘muso o tlo kena lits’enyehelong ka lebaka la bolehe ba lona.

    Haba competent Bro Tom hammoho le mookameli oa bona O.M.I Mohlakaza, ba tebele

  5. Kheleleke,Khele!
    Joale Hee,Li student loan: Ha zulu.Ha lipataloe,Ke moo ba Heso Ba Tsoasitseng. Ke choolo.Nka ofa ‘Me,ea ba ‘Mao.

  6. halalalalala,,chuo..patlooo,fochooo ho boan Halti, ba phapharetsa to much…

  7. @ semenekane joale eaba u tholetseng hee mohlomphei hao bona hore ba qalile ka leeto lesele joale haeka o batla ba lelekoe tjee empa ntatao eo eena e le khale a sa tebeloe mebusong e fitileng

  8. masepa ana alesothop, Tom must clear off all this shit that mosisisli put in the national system. its full of his people, sataNE TSENA TSA MAPOTOANA LI TLO DIHA NAHA ENA!!!

  9. Heeeleeeeeeeee!!!!!!1 Mokitimi!!!!Mokitimi!!!!! Licheleeeeee!!!!!

  10. Le phoqehile kaofela. Le kile la bona kae mapolesa a Lesotho a etsa lipatlisiso tse itseng cha! Ha ba tsebe mokhoa ofe kapa ofe oa ho fuputsa ntle le ho tsipa le hona ho khakhatha batho. Joale Moleleki ke chiefnyana kahoo ba kese mo tsipe. Mapolesa a Lesotho ke liability.

    The word “investigation” is spanish to them. Ha bana thuso ho hang. Law & order is not maintained by police in Lesotho. It is maintained by the nature and foundation of Basotho as a nation. Lesotho can do without police and the army. Lets’olo la iketsetse le banna ba shapa-shapa baka feta mapolesa mohalotso. Ba its’ebeletsa tjotjo everyday ebe ba ikela mahaboba.

  11. Hahahaha!e ne kaba ha se mahaletere.lol…’muso u litulong ha u ke u sebetse u khauhane le rona ma DC.ho boluoe ka hofela tlohelang le eme.investigate all not only DC members.

    K’huoe

    ‘nete ke thebe.

  12. ‘muso oa kopanelo o qala meleko joale,haeba o tla accusa motho ka bobulu bo o ba senang motheo oa oona,re tla lekeha.joale o tlo tlameha le ho patala Mokola li tsenyehelo,nxa,ke tla o khora le pele selemo se feta.i am not a Decician but i support batho ba ratang nnete,not hore ke rata DC
    YA FOFA!!!!

  13. No wonder why the criminals are roaming the streets, the police are incompetent. Mahaltere is now boasting in radio stations saying he has won the case when a police with requisite skills would have nailed him. Ho bo tatetsoe kae ha hotla khorohuoa lipatlisiso liso fele, ke ho batla setumo le promotion?

    On a different note, enjoy it while it lasts Mahaltere coz whether the police seem to put the cart before the horse, there is a case here. There is no smoke without fire, explain the source of those funds and we shall all rest the case if you convince us. Otherwise I am adamant in raising the question, why are you the only signatory when there is a board of trustees consisiting of your wife, ‘Me ‘Mannete Ramaili, ‘Me Ntsebe Kokome and others. This is not consistent with the manner in which entities of that nature are run.

  14. Helele lona mahaletere ha atsoaloa maobane khale a le teng lefats’eng mona,chehe una mmuso re u shebile hao patale HALTI a kere chelete e ngata ka hara naha ka moo joalo ka ha Tona kholo a itse chelete e ngata ho bona Mahaletere ba na ba na BAMANASI,ra re re thotse HAlTI a etsa tjena eena aetsa tjena akha fotsek,ho bona HALTI,NNETE KE THEBE SECHABA KE POHO.coalition government le pele 12 months e fela le se tse le poqa tjee na 5 yrs re tla fihla le lona?for this 100 days mmuso u fumane bo bolu ba leshano la ho nyeta Mokola feela kapa tse ling liteng?buoang macoalition!Siiiiiiiiiiiiis.HO BONA HALTI

  15. USA President said “I did not have sex with that woman” but it turned out he did. RSA Commissioner of Police said “these hands are clean” and it turned out his hands were dirty with crime. Only time will tell, I repeat, enjoy it while it lasts coz the investgations are continuing and this article saying he is off the hook for now not forever.

    So his puppets go on and sing praises but you dont know what the future holds for you all. We are eagerly awaiting his explaination of the source of funding and we shall acquit him when he has provided satisfactory prove.

  16. le itse mapotoana a amohele hore a hlotsoe empa joale le sitoa ho amohela ha mapolesa a lona a hloloa ho bvokeletsa bopaki bo lekaneng ho qosa Mahaletere. le batla eng khanthe?

  17. Guys you are always so quick to panic and point fingers. Hothoeng ka Sesotho? Lepotla-potla le ja poli, ha lesesetheho le jang? This move is good because it will remove this case from the political lime light and all the expectation and pressures that come with it. Bottom line is, financial crimes in some instances take years to build a water tight case, because the case also relies on other institutions like banks who benefit from this dirt money they hoard. The good news is, financial crimes leave an audit trail, and although financial institutions can only delay the processes, they are obliged by law to provide the information which will end this case once and for all.
    Before the investigation is dropped, there is nothing to moan about.

  18. No bank will ever ask me where do i get money, “never”. Why are they now not intervening in this matter with their systems? Poor Lesotho! Innocent pple being punished for no reason but those whom do not indicates their sources are let free? No! This country and its system now proved that they are of nothing to the whole of Basotho.

  19. It is possible for a minister for more 14 years to have 4 million from savings and private businesses. To investigate how he can have 4 million in banks, they need a forensic methods that will scrutinise how he ended with this money in his accounts, i.e. every transaction should be linked to whatever sources of money he had a a time e.g. salary, allowances, businesses, lotto etc. He can only be caught if perhaps he depositted e.g. 1 million at a time, and that 1 million does not tally with his 1 salary at the time, 2. business funds at the time, 3. salary plus business funds. Then he will have to explain where he got the money. Gifts are unacceptable explanation. That where we can start to suspect bobolu.

  20. Nna ke tseba ho thoe Halti a ruile ho feta mmuso oa Lesotho, e ele hore chelete e e li accounteng tsa hae e lekana le ea mmuso oa Lesotho, chee re mathateng haeba mmuso ona le about 3m feela

  21. And people ask me why I love this Country!! Who doesnt love jokes! This Country is a Joke. Period.

  22. “”"the net Is closing in on MOLELEKI”"” I VIVIDLY REMEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!

  23. Ache Ntate moholo Thabane eo ea sa roakoeng le ‘musonyana ona oa hae oa lilapha lapha otlo fela before 5yrs.utlohetse bo TIMOTHY THAHANE ba jeleng 5million le Metsing coz ba fomme makhomareletso a ‘muso o roahakeileng ona ake le tloheleng MA dc a phele batho toing ba corrupt phela MOnyane MOrena LEQE U BOSS EA NAHA HE WA TSAJOA BOY

  24. MST PPLE ASKD MI Y I LK DC T IZ CZ BANNA BANA BA HESO BO LITJOBO KE LI BOSS

  25. ACHE BA TLO U PATALA CHELETE E NYANE ONLY M100000!!! BAITSE CHELETE E BAPALA LESOTHO MONA!!!!

  26. Haeba Halti akare o rekisitse moriri oa hae le litelu le tla reng hobane hona le batho ba mafatla ekannaba ba reka moriri oa hae. Joale ke eo ba boetse ba mo nehella M100,000 re ntse re lapa re hloka mesebetsi.

  27. Hohobe ntja e ngoaea ka leeto la pele,ho tla bonahala ea sa nyanyang ‘ma’e,khetlong lena ea senang sekaja mmae a tele a telle motella ruri ho ho be ho masholu,khoho u tlo matha ka lerapo thabeng,helele lonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.Ho bona HALTI.

  28. BO SEMENEKANE BAA MAKATSA U BONA BO TSEBANYANE FEELA HA THUSE MAPOLESA KA LETHO!!!!!!!!! ACHE!!!!!!!

  29. “”"”Ache Ntate moholo Thabane eo ea sa roakoeng le ‘musonyana ona oa hae oa lilapha lapha otlo fela before 5yrs.utlohetse bo TIMOTHY THAHANE ba jeleng 5million le Metsing coz ba fomme makhomareletso a ‘muso o roahakeileng ona ake le tloheleng MA dc a phele batho toing ba corrupt phela MOnyane MOrena LEQE U BOSS EA NAHA HE WA TSAJOA BOY”"
    EXACTLY!!!!!!!!

  30. This is saying to me”thlapi folofela leraha esere metsi apsha uoa bona”amang a mabaka ana entse hore rese tshele le dc ke corruption eo honeng hothoe eteng,i am now conviced of it’s innocence.and i have made my mind that i am crossing the river to dc,ekare mmuso ona keoa bo maithutoana.

  31. enjoy it while it lasts halti man

  32. Withdrwaing a case to have accounts frozen does not mean the end of the investigation, you cannot continue to insist that accounts be frozen when you have no grounds to do so, simply put, police duty is NOT to bar someone to access monies from his due bank account in the absence of substantial proof, but that does not mean that the source of those monies or those monies themselves, all of a sudden become clean, all of you go read elements of money laundering and Lesotho’s Anti Money Laundering (AML) Act. KE HONA MOO NTJA E NGOE EA LE-POTOANA E TLO INAMA HA RE FIHLA teng hee, Joale le eena ha a le Thaba-Tseka o sa re u hlotse nyeoe hela this was NOT a criminal case but a civil case over freeze/unfreeze accounts, e seng criminally charged – U TSEBA HANTLE ‘MOKOLA hore ho ntso itleloa, u mpa a foufatsa batho bana bao ‘Na le Uena e sa leng re ba foufatsa ka mashano hore ba re khethe, ‘Pontso!!!! Pontso Oeeee Ruri Ruri itukisetse ho tla nka boetapele

  33. Bad headline Lesotho. Was Moleleki EVER CRIMINALLY CHARGED, or were accounts belonging to Lesiba Home for destitute children frozen, and Moleleki as the sole signatory, and administrator made court applications for accounts to be unfrozen, for which the police decided to withdraw counteraction to Moleleki’s court order? Finally the side of the police has not been reported, or attempt to find out why the “CHARGES WERE DROPPED,” requested from the police. The report is one sided and leaves a lot to be desired from Lesotho Times journalistic capabilities.

  34. Patloooooooo! Joale bo Masupha ba pota

  35. E mpe ebe mmuso ona oa chakalaka o tseba ntho eo e o etsang. Haeba the FREEZE/UNFREEZE case only has already cost the government ~ M100 000, ke mathata.

  36. Ke feta Mahaltere ka chelete! Banna matona a Lesotho khanthe ke Bo Malapane ba tjee!

  37. Telang le Aunty P le mpolaile baheso. Haeba mmuso ona le fela chelete e sa feteng M4m ke mathata. Our beloved Lesotho is indeed a joke to the clever… Ke hore ha ke tsebe letho ka lipatlisiso empa hona ke bolehe ho hloloa ke Mahaletere…sis

  38. Mang kapa mang a phetseng hantle o ‘na keke a ts’oaroa ke sepolesa se sebelisang liphaka ho feta kelello tabeng e kang ena ea Molakolako.

    Mang le mang a bophelong bo botle ba kelello a keke a ba le ntho tse belaetsang, kapa tsona tse seng molaong, haufi le eena tlasa mosamo joalo ka ha sepolesa sa heso se palameng se ‘ne se lebelletse hore bopaki ba ts’ebeliso ea chelete ea sechaba molemong oa ho ithuisa bo teng tafoleng ea Mahaletere ea koofi, moeka o ka hakanya hore litholoana tsa ho fumanoa ka 2.8m e nang le lipampiri tse nkhang sebolu ho ka se be le litholoana tse hlabosang haholo.

    Bongata ba matona a puso e fetileng ha bo na lebaka la ho its’oha ho ka lebisang le hona ho ipheng limenyane ntle le hore ho fetisoe, kapa ha e ba o teng ho sebelisoe, molao oa hore bohle ba bileng lekhotleng la puso e theohang litulong kapa e sa theoheng, ba hlahlojoe ka mokhoa hore a na efela ho khonahala hore ka meputso, likhoebo, le mecha e meng e fapakaneng ea bona ea lichelete, motho a ka ba le tsohle tseo a nang le tsona, thepa le lits’ebeletso (ho akhoa maeto le mekitlana e tsamaeang le ‘ona, thuto ea bana le ea baeka e bang ba imatlafalitse nakong eo ba leng pusong, le tse ling) li kenyelletsa le boleng ba matsete le lipolokelo tsa baeka tsa lichelete; “audit”.

    Ho etsa joalo ka tsela e nepahetseng, ha ho hloke liphaka le lirifi. Moo e bang lekala/lekalana la, kapa le thusang (joalo ka DCEO kapa paramente le tse ling), ‘muso le ka haelloa ke litsebo, kamehla ke hantle ho kopa tlatsetso ka litsebo ka mokhoa ho fetisa papatso ea mosebetsi/memo ea litsebo maseling le maselinyaneng a ka hare le a kantle ho naha e bang ho hlokahala joalo. Ha ba ipitsang litsebi ba iketile ‘me ho khethuoe setsebi se seng, joale tsebanyane a ka sebetsa le eo a entseng memo hore ho liphuputso li etsoe ka botebo.

    Tse hlahileng leselinyaneng lena le khabane e bile tsa lipolokelo tse ka hare ho naha feela, tse naheng kapa linaheng tse ling tsona? A na mecha ea Mahaletere ea chelete ho tloha ’98 e ka hlapanyetsa bophelo boo eena le ba lelapa la hae ba bo phelang/phetseng ho fihlela a tloha pusong? A na mesebetsi eo lekala/makala a ‘muso, ao Mahaletere a sebelitseng ho ‘ona, e ka fela ea totobatsa hore ha ho moo kabo ea eona e ileng ea laoloa ke seabo sa hae litefellong tse tla etsoa ts’ebetsong e joalo? A na sepolesa se palameng sa Lesotho le DCEO li na le litsebo le lisebelisoa tse hlokahalang le tse lekaneng molemong oa phuputso ea mofuta oo?

  39. if its true halti haana molato,ebe taba ee ea hae e ne e sebetsoa sepolotiki! ka nnete w a goin no wer coz le batla busa ka 2017 batlabe ba ntse ba batla ho revenger ho muso o fitileng..chee!ke soabi ele ka nnete

  40. Ha e khoali e khoaltsana. E bonahetse taba ena hore ha e no fella feela. Ba ts’aba ho tsoela pele hobane ho ntso na le a mang matona a ‘muso o fetileng a keneng ‘musong ona oa ABCLCDBNP. Joale ba e nyahlatsa ho sireletsa ba Mr so & so.

  41. BASOTHO,BASOTHO, BASOTHO, BASOTHO BA BATLE TLOHELLANG MORENA MOLIMO A SEBETSE HLE, KEA KOPA. MOLIMO EA MATLA OOHLE EA BEILENG MMUSO O MOCHA LTULONG, O KA SITOA KE HO RAROLLA LITABA TSA BOBOLU LE BOSHOLU? BALA BAROMA 11 VERSE 33-36

  42. LEQE! LEQE! LEQE! HALTI WA BANTWANA

  43. LEQE! LEQE! LEQE! HALTI WA RONA

  44. Khele Basotho ba sotleha empa naha ea bona e ruile batho ba khopo ba naha ena.DC le jele la sotla basotho ha le so khotsofale?

  45. MOLIMO BOLOKA BASOTHO LE LESOTHO KHOTSO E RENE KA HARA NAHA

  46. ke le nyoefe-nyoefe lang ka ntate Mahaltere?? hana jwale le llelang haeka lea nyoefela tje! Nneeeeteeee!

  47. Lesotho ke naha ea heso hle! It is among the top ten corrupt countries in the world. Ha ke re among the first five hee!Feela hee sethoto ha se tsebe hore bophelo ha se ba rona!

  48. Lekoata-koata to the left and right. Haba tsamae holima lesika la Thole Halti. Ba lekhoekhoe ba tla sala ka koetseng.ke hampe hore ebe taba ena e qala ho uena. Forestic investigation e tlo thusetsa ho etsa lipatlisiso re tla bona hore sekala sena se tla sekamela ho kae?.

    Lekoata – koata to the left or right?

  49. One sided story, baqolotsi bana ba litabaa r n proffesional @ all, moleqitsi ena ntse le tlo moo chabela….

  50. BONNETE KE BATLA HO KENYA MAHALETERE TERONKONG HOBANE HAKE MO BATLE. EMPA JOALE BOPAKI BOA HANA. HEE BASOTHO BA HESO LE NTSOARELE PUUSO ENA E THATA. KE NNETE 100 DAYS KE NE KESA NAHANA HORE ETLA ETSA 100 THAUSAND OUT! KE OFE EO LE BATLANG KEMO LELEKISE HAPE, KE BATLA HO NTSA 200 THAUSAND THIS TIME. RE TLAMEHILE HORE RE SENYE CHELETE HORE RE ETSE LITABA SECHABENG! LETSATSI LE BA CHABELE TOOALAAAA!

    KESA ROBALA HONA JOALE KE UTLOA TSOEKERE ENA E PHAHAME, HAKE TSOHA MONA KETLA LE JOETSA E MONG EO KE BATLANG HOMOFA CHELETE LEA UTLOA LONA MAPOLESA?

  51. eka sohle se hlahlolloang se etsoa ka mafufa, leha enekaba nthoe ntle, keka hona le taba e totobetseng tjena e hoboloang ke ntja. Ke soabile!

  52. de author of de article correct me if im wrong,has de police dropped de charge against Moleleki,or de Director of Public Prosecutions declined to charge him bz of insufficient evidence from de police?my understanding is tt every citizen maybe subjected to criminal investigations just as they did to Moleleki and there is nothing wrong to suspect a prn whether they eventually find smthing or not.Furthermore,with my little knowledge,i dont think there is anything tt cud bar police from investigating Moleleki if there so wish or suspect him of anything.Ppl understand tt Moleleki has not been charged and subsequently acquited,he was only being investigated.Julias Malema is a classical example,for yrs he was under investigations but has finally been charged.

  53. hase mara hase ho fela oena Halti.u no na uare pitsa e ts’etse, batho ba tla bona eaba hau koaholla hoa hlaha Ramathebane.Chelete eona o ntse o tlo ents’a

  54. Mr Lekoata-Koata Leqe Mahaletere, Mapolesa a tla u phahamisetsa ropo ena. U tlabo khotse u re ” how high sir?”, e be bare “ts’ela Halti”

  55. Hu is next after Halti? We r watchin very……

  56. neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeete halti waka shebanang le puso tlohelang mahaletere o itsebelelitse, maponesa ana a tom a senang thuso ha mmoho le ntata bona enoa a tso fetseng.

  57. We shall marvell at tactics from all sides – but it better be a game!

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