On the 23rd December 2019, the Commissioner of Police requested the Prime Minister to explain involvement of his cellphone in the conversation with a person who was in the area of scene when his former wife was assassinated in 2017. Few days later Prime Minister issued a letter instructing Commissioner of Police to take leave. When this was challenged in court, the Prime Minister abandoned the case and issued another letter purporting to suspend or retire Commissioner of Police.
DPE and civil society fraternity see this as not only dodging justice but distabilising police service with potential to stir instability and disrupt reforms. CSOs issued the statement and called upon Prime Minister to respond to the call of Commissioner of Police. The Deputy Commissioner of Police went ahead to summon wife of the Prime Minister to report at the police headquarters for investigations on the case referred to above, but she did not show up. The warrant of arrest has been issued. Within a period less than a week four seniors police officers have been in and out of the office of Commissioner of Police on account of the commission of omission of the Prime Minister, clearly outside the precincts of the law. Though the Prime Minister lost the suspension case his desire to remove Commissioner is not quenchable. Memo 1. Memo 2.
He is determined to advice His Majesty to retire the Commissioner of Police. In the view of DPE and indeed that of the civil society fraternity for the Prime Minister’s act to be legal must meticulously comply with Section 5 of the Lesotho Police Service 1998. Over and above explanation given on the civil society statement above this elaboration of Section 5 is necessary.
DPE shall remain resourceful to the efforts of civil society to help Lesotho to stay course on reforms and persuade political leadership to maintain rule of law, to impress upon the Prime Minister to respond to the call by Commissioner of Police and call upon the wife of the Prime Minister to report herself and help police with investigations, to call upon the Police Commissioner to stand firm on the murder cases occurred under similarly controversial circumstances and to insist that government takes action on police brutality.
