Public Prosecutor of Lesotho withdrew the charges against the former prime ministerThomas Thabane, and his wife, Maesaia, for the alleged involvement of both in the murder of his ex-wife, Lipolelo Thabane, in 2017, in the absence of key witnesses in the case.

According to local media Lesotho Times, the prosecutor’s office withdrew the charges in a hearing at the Maseru High Court, after not finding a decisive witness for the public prosecution, led by prosecutor Gareth Leppan.

The crime of Lipolelo Thabane

The charge is for the 2017 murder of Lipolelo Thabane, the ex-wife of Thomas Thabane, who was shot dead outside the home two days before the veteran politician. became Prime Minister of Lesotho for the second time in his career.

Thomas and Lipolelo Thabane dragged in complicated divorce process for years and, just over a month after the murder, the politician married Mesaiah.

Police investigations indicated the couple allegedly hired hitmen to commit the crime in exchange for approximately $ 180,000.

Courts had confirmed the charges against Maesaia Thabane as early as February 2020, but the former prime minister avoided her indictment until the end of 2021.

Initially, Thabane’s defense supported him it cannot be charged while it is still chargingbut due to this investigation and due to a serious political crisis that the ruling party had been dragging on for months, Thabane, albeit reluctantly, ended up resigning from office on May 19, 2020.

Supporters of the veteran leader, now 83, have attributed the murder charges to the political motivations of his opponents.

Thabane was replaced as prime minister by Moeketsi Majoro (who was previously finance minister) and national plans hold general elections on 7 October. The date was announced in a statement signed by King Letsie III and the head of the National Electoral Commission, Mpaiphele Maqutu.

Elections in the country 2.2 million inhabitants They were announced after the monarch dissolved Parliament last week, in line with the procedures for preparing the vote.

The constitutional monarchy of Lesotho, a mountainous kingdom nestled in the middle of South Africa, has seen numerous coups since gaining independence from Britain in 1966.

With the system still in place, the parliamentarians elect a prime minister as head of governmentwhich usually comes from the party that gets the majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Who is Tom Thabane?

He is a Lesotho politician who he was twice prime minister of his country, from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 20 May 2020. Previously he was Minister of Foreign Affairs (1990-1991), Minister of the Interior (1998-2002) and Minister of Communications.

His first wife was Matoka Judith Thabane, who died at the age of 79 with whom he had four children. The second wife of the politician was the aforementioned Lipolelo, from whom he divorced in 2012.

The same year that Lipolelo was assassinated, Thabane married Maesiah, his third wife, in a Catholic ceremony at Maseru’s Setsoto Stadium.

In early 2020, after suspending Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli, who she accused him of killing his exthe ruling party of the All Basotho Convention asked him to resign.

Source: EFE, ANSA and AFP