MASERU - The Maseru Magistrate Court earlier today failed to set hearing dates for a case in which five women and four men are charged with fraud, theft and corruption involving pensions money amounting to over M2 million.
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July 26, 2019
2 min read
Pensions thieves briefly in court
DCEO
According to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO)’s senior information officer ’Matlhokomelo Senoko, the court could not set the hearing dates as anticipated because some of the accused were looking for lawyers to represent them. The court consequently agreed to set the dates on August 23. Eight of the accused were released on a M 2 000 bail deposit while the ninth who is an elderly person was granted a M1 000 bail. The accused comprise Limakatso ’Malikhetla, 50, of Lekhaloaneng, Maseru and Mongali Mohapi, 40, of Khubetsoana, who are both former accountants of the Ministry of Finance in the pensions department.
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The rest of the accused are not pensionable employees of the government of Lesotho and include Keabetsoe Molise, 30, of Lower Thamae, Boykie Tsotetsi, 56, of Ha Leqele, ’Mamolise Molise, 52, of Lekhaloaneng, Lebohang Mojela, 75, of Ha Abia, Ntsoaki Mapena, 39, of Katlehong and ’Mantoane Lisene, 60, of Ts’enola.
According to the DCEO, ’Malikhetla and Mohapi had been mandated to enter the names of the pensioners into the pensions system. For security, they were each given a unique password known only by the bearer thereof and were responsible for the anonymity and security of their passwords. It is alleged that between 2013 and 2018, while both ’Malikhetla and Mongali worked for the finance ministry, the other accused received pensions in amounts ranging from M20 000 to over M700 000, totalling about M2.2 million. ’Malikhetla and Mohapi are alleged to have during that time deposited the said monies into the other seven’s bank accounts and later withdrew the cash to share among the nine of them.
LeNA/Metro
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