Party leaders’ wives arrested for theft

MASERU – THE wives of two party leaders have been arrested for allegedly defrauding the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of tens of thousands of maloti which was meant to pay party agents.

The wives of the Basotho Economic Enrichment (BEE) leader, Litaba Mohale, and the Basutoland Democratic Congress (BDC)’s Molibeli Soro were arrested last weekend.

The third suspect is a man aged 27-years who is a member of the BDC.

The IEC distributed money to all political parties that took part in last year’s parliamentary elections to pay their agents.

Police spokesman, Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli, said they picked up the trio after their investigations disclosed that something did not add up in what they told them.

They allegedly went to the Lithoteng police station where they reported that they had been robbed of the money but when the police probed them with questions they gave unsatisfactory answers.

S/Supt Mopeli said Soro’s wife, a woman aged 45 from Koalabata, is the BDC’s treasurer.

The other woman is the 38-year old wife of Mohale, from Khubetsoana.

S/Supt Mopeli said the trio is facing a charge of theft before the Maseru Magistrate’s Court.

He said the trio went to the Lithoteng police station to report that they had been robbed of M52 000 while paying their party agents.

He said the suspects reported that they were going to pay eight constituencies starting with Likotsi constituency.

“They reported that they were robbed of the money between 11am and 12pm but the police received the report at 6pm,” S/Supt Mopeli said.

While investigating the matter, the police discovered that the suspects were not telling the truth that they had been robbed.

“They stole it for themselves,” he said.

Instead of paying their agents M300 each, they only gave them M150 each.

Police investigations further revealed that the suspects had hidden M13 000 at the BDC offices at the AME Hall.

At the BEE offices in Maseru East, M196 450 of the stolen money was recovered.

The theft happened at a time when the IEC is beginning to pay all the party agents who were on duty during the 2022 general elections.

Both leaders could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print last night.

Nkheli Liphoto