Hopolang Mokhopi
THE Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) has charged Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson, ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, with about M5.6 million fraud for allegedly facilitating payments for park homes which were not delivered.
She appeared in the Maseru Magistrates Court on Thursday, with the DCEO accusing her of abusing her powers during her time as Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Home Affairs around 2018/19,
The ministry had issued a tender for the supply of Resource Centre Park homes for its livestock registration department.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie is alleged to have colluded with a former colleague, Pitso Ramokoatsi, the National Livestock Registrar in the Ministry of Home Affairs, to commit the fraud.
Together, they are accused of defrauding the state of M5,640,590 after facilitating a payment to L &Kiti Construction (Pty) Ltd which had not done the work claimed.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie is also charged with “unlawfully and intentionally abusing the functions or positions of her office” after she wrote a memo instructing the ministry’s accounts departments to process the payment to L&Kiti “despite knowing the work was not fully completed”.
This, the DCEO claims, allowed the company to obtain undue benefit from the government.
The two were granted M5,000 bail each and required to provide a surety in the form of an immovable property leased in Maseru.
The duo will appear in court again on June 3, 2025.
Ms Lemphane-Letsie was represented by Advocate Khumalo, while Mr Ramokoatsi was represented by Advocate Thienyane.