Suspended DCEO boss fights back

MASERU-SUSPENDED Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) boss, Attorney Mahlomola Manyokole, says he was pushed out when he was about to charge the Prime Minister.
Attorney Manyokole however declined to tell thepost the crime Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro could have committed.

“We do have one case against the Prime Minister and we also have issues of Victoria Hotel and issues relating to hired vehicles to the government,” Attorney Manyokole said.
“I do have a corruption case against the Prime Minister and I have been waiting for his consent so that I convict him,” he said.

However, Justice Minister Professor Nqosa Mahao, who suspended Attorney Manyokole, told this newspaper that the charges against Majoro were drawn on the same day when he received his suspension letter on Friday.
He said the charges were “prepared the same day he received the letter of suspension”.

“He then sat down and prepared that case,” Professor Mahao said.
Prof Mahao said Majoro recently set up a tribunal to investigate if Advocate Manyokole is still fit to lead the anti-graft body.
“Instead of (responding to) the letter he went to the courts saying courts should stop us from suspending him,” Professor Mahao said.

He said Attorney Manyokole is determined to drag the names of everyone who is participating in the tribunal – ministers and the Prime Minister – through the mud.

He said Attorney Manyokole had even cast aspersions on the integrity of judges who were appointed to investigate him.
Judges Semapo Peete, Teboho Moiloa and Polo Banyane were recently appointed to investigate Attorney Manyokole’s suitability as the DCEO boss.
Professor Mahao said Attorney Manyokole also attempted to drag Justice Moiloa and Prime Minister Majoro in a conspiracy theory against him.

“The days I had given to Manyokole to respond lapsed and the courts also refused to stop us from suspending him,” Professor Mahao said.
According to him the decision was reached by the Prime Minister after he wrote to him reminding him that the days to respond had lapsed.
He said Attorney Manyokole has implicated him on many other issues.
He said the allegations made by Attorney Manyokole against Justice Moiloa are also unfounded and untruthful.

He said Attorney Manyokole claims that he has relatives at the Lesotho Sandstone Enterprise that the DCEO successfully shut down late last year.
He alleged that Attorney Manyokole was peddling a falsehood that he wants to avenge the loss of jobs for his relatives who lost their jobs at the company.

“I do not know any of my relatives working there as he says,” he said.
The tribunal has been gazetted and will soon proceed, he said.
He also said the law governing the DCEO says there should be a deputy director general to take over in the absence of the director general but Attorney Manyokole never had a deputy.

Professor Mahao said the Public Service Commission should now take over and choose who should act in Attorney Manyokole’s position.
Attorney Manyokole told thepost that he received the suspension letter last Friday at lunch.

“I was told to hand over to the vice CEO who I do not have then I left the office with the director of administration,” he said.
He declined to go into details about the matter saying it is now before the courts of laws.

Nkheli Liphoto