More trouble for Molibeli

MASERU – POLICE boss Holomo Molibeli, who is facing a contempt of court charge, has been asked to find his own lawyer after the Attorney General’s office declined to defend him.
Molibeli was asked to come before court on Monday.

High Court judge, Justice Tšeliso Mokoko, ordered that Commissioner Molibeli should appear before court with or without a lawyer on Monday.

Advocate Mafefooane Moshoeshoe who appeared for Commissioner Molibeli from the Attorney General’s office, told the court that the Attorney General’s office could no longer represent him.

“The office of the Attorney General has instructed that (Commissioner Molibeli) should find a lawyer of his choice as he has a right to do so,” Advocate Moshoeshoe said.

“I am not ready to continue with the case hence I plead with the court to give him a chance to find a lawyer of his choice,” he said.

Commissioner Molibeli is facing contempt of court charges for ignoring an order instructing him to reinstate the bodyguards of his deputy, Beleme Lebajoa.

DCP Lebajoa wants his boss jailed for ignoring the court order.

DCP Lebajoa’s lawyer, Advocate Salemane Phafane, argued that “this is just a trick and a total waste of time because we are ready to proceed”.

Advocate Phafane told the court that DCP Lebajoa “has suffered a lot of prejudices since the commissioner disarmed him of his bodyguard and now that he is not obeying the court order”.

He said the decision to postpone the matter to Monday would negatively affect DCP Lebajoa because he has to pay his lawyers for appearing in court.

Justice Mokoko however ordered that the case should be postponed to Monday to give Commissioner Molibeli a chance to find a lawyer of his choice.

He however said on Monday the contempt case will proceed irrespective of whether Commissioner Molibeli has a lawyer or not.

He told Commissioner Molibeli that he should not come with excuses that he could not find a lawyer as they are still going to proceed with or without a lawyer.

He further added that since Commissioner Molibeli has wasted the court’s time, the postponement costs should personally come from his pocket to pay DCP Lebajoa’s lawyers.

He was on Friday ordered to appear personally before court to explain why he could not be found guilty of contempt and be jailed.

Justice Mokoko made the order on Tuesday after he was told that Commissioner Molibeli had failed to comply with his order to provide his deputy with bodyguards.

DCP Lebajoa rushed to Justice Mokoko’s court in June last year seeking an order interdicting his boss from transferring him from the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) to the Finance and Infrastructure Department (FID).

Apart from seeking to transfer Deputy Commissioner Lebajoa, the police boss had taken away his bodyguards, a move that incensed his deputy.

Commissioner Molibeli partly honoured Justice Mokoko’s order by keeping DCP Lebajoa as head of the CID.

He however did not reinstate his bodyguards, which is an entitlement of his office.

’Malimpho Majoro