…as Crown cites missing charge-sheet papers, Selate’s absence
Hopolang Mokhopi
THE protracted M50 million fraud case has stalled again after the prosecution told the Maseru Magistrates’ Court that crucial documents were missing from the charge sheet and alleged mastermind, Lehlohonolo Selate, was not before court.
The matter came before Central Chief Magistrate ‘Matankiso Nthunya this past week after defence lawyers asked the court to read out the charges their clients face.
The Crown, represented by Advocate (Adv) Dominic Metlae, asked for a postponement to allow it to file the missing documents and secure the attendance of the remaining accused.
Adv Metlae also told the court that the prosecution intended to proceed separately against Selate, who has been absent from the Lesotho proceedings and is currently incarcerated at Kroonstad Prison in South Africa.
“The Crown will prefer charges against the alleged mastermind Lehlohonolo Selate alone,” Adv Metlae said.
Selate’s lawyer, Adv Katiso Nhlapho, told the court that his client was still awaiting trial in South Africa and could therefore not attend the proceedings.
“My client is still awaiting trial in South Africa so they cannot make it,” Adv Nhlapho said.
Attorney Willson Mkhawana, another defence lawyer, complained that he had been requesting statements since January but had not received any by the time of the hearing.
The defence team also included Adv Makhetha Motšoari, Adv Lepeli Molapo and Adv Maletsatsi Kao Theoha, among others.
The matter was postponed to 10 November 2026 for pre-trial preparation.
Selate’s disappearance
The case involves the alleged theft of more than M50 million from the Ministry of Finance.
Selate was charged in the Maseru Magistrates’ Court in October 2021 alongside Ntšeliseng Lawrence, Mookho Rafono, Tlali Mokoaleli, Thabang Nkoe, Hlabathe Phafoli, Thithili Makhesi, Maqoboto Lepolesa, Fako Molefe and his estranged wife, Karabelo Makara.
The group is accused of defrauding the government by allegedly creating the impression that payments were being made for services rendered to the state when the money was allegedly diverted for personal gain.
According to the charges, the alleged fraud was committed between October 2020 and September 2021 in the Maseru district.
The accused allegedly made false representations to the Central Bank of Lesotho, claiming that the Ministry of Finance had authorised the transfer of M50 million from its expenditure account into accounts belonging to various companies.
The companies named in the charges are Nivana Holdings Pty Ltd, Traggulogy Pty Ltd, Stone Curlew Holdings Pty Ltd, Sunny Penny Pty Ltd, Victorious General Dealer, Moletsima General Dealer, Hazel Nuts General Dealer and Plexus Suppliers Pty Ltd.
The accused were each granted M5000 bail and ordered to provide M100 000 surety, while Selate was charged in absentia after fleeing to South Africa at the time.
He was arrested in October 2021 in Maputsoe after he was lured back into Lesotho through a sting operation by the police.
Selate was initially released on 3 April 2023 by Magistrate Nthunya for being imprisoned for a long time without being prosecuted.
He had invoked section 4 of the Speedy Court Trials Act on 31 March 2023 which prohibit the incarceration of a person for more than 60 days without trial. This then forced Magistrate Nthunya to release him.
However, his freedom only lasted a few seconds as the police officers investigating his horde of alleged criminal cases were already waiting for him at the Lesotho Correctional Service gate to re-arrest him. They re-arrested him and hauled him before court over a new charge of defrauding Standard Lesotho Bank of M460 000.
Subsequently, he was granted M10 000 bail by Resident Magistrate Nthabiseng Moopisa on 11 April 2023.
He fled the country again in March this year when his M460 000 fraud trial was nearing completion in the Maseru Magistrates Court.
The Crown subsequently obtained a warrant for his arrest after he allegedly breached his bail conditions. Further investigations established in May 2026 that he was being held in South Africa, prompting the prosecution to seek his return to Lesotho.
Selate is currently incarcerated at Kroonstad Prison, where he says he is awaiting trial on fraud and money-laundering charges linked to the alleged movement of proceeds from the M50 million scheme through South African banks.
He has filed an application in the Maseru Magistrates Court to have warrants issued against him by the Maseru Magistrates Court cancelled.
However, the Crown has opposed his application, arguing that the move would frustrate efforts to extradite him to Lesotho.
In an opposing affidavit filed in the Maseru Magistrates’ Court, Senior Crown Counsel Adv Keketso Motiki said Selate had failed to attend court on 3 March 2026 and again on 5 March after the matter was postponed. His lawyer had reportedly told the court that Selate had been arrested in Mozambique before the South African arrest, but no documents confirming the Mozambique arrest were produced.
The Crown maintains that the warrants were lawfully issued to secure his return and enable him to explain his failure to attend court.
Money recovered in South Africa
The M50 million investigation has also involved cross-border efforts to trace and recover money allegedly siphoned from Lesotho government accounts.
South Africa’s Asset Forfeiture Unit, working with the Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre, collaborated with Lesotho authorities to trace funds suspected of being linked to the alleged fraud.
South African authorities subsequently obtained final civil forfeiture orders over more than R18 million held in South African bank accounts. The recovered money was later returned to the Lesotho government Treasury.
In November 2023, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority also handed over money and assets recovered in connection with a money-laundering case originating in Lesotho to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences.
Selate faces a separate criminal case in South Africa alongside alleged accomplices Uthando Lorraine Modise and Marcious Lerato Lisene. In March 2024, the two were charged with fraud and money laundering at the Ficksburg Magistrates’ Court, together with their company, Traggulogy Pty Ltd.
They are accused of participating in a scheme in which the company allegedly received about M4 million after a duplicate voucher was used to defraud the Lesotho Treasury under the pretence that services had been rendered to the government.
The South African proceedings form part of the wider investigation into the alleged movement of public funds across the border.