Law minister blamed for M80 million election fund misprocurement
Richard Ramoeletsi allegedly authorised irregular purchase of IEC headquarters using unspent election money.
Law and Justice Minister Richard Ramoeletsi is implicated in the irregular purchase of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) headquarters for M80 million. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is questioning his role in authorising the acquisition using unspent funds from the 2023 Local Government Elections.
The Maseru West property purchase from Homestead Holdings was not budgeted for in the 2023/24 financial year, yet the IEC used election money. Auditor General Mathabo Makenete flagged the M80 million expenditure, noting the IEC’s failure to remit unspent allocations to the government’s Consolidated Fund by March 31, 2024.
IEC executives admitted to the PAC that the commission acted wrongly in diverting funds. Finance Manager Mokheseng Mofolo stated the purchase was approved by former Director of Elections Mpaiphele Maqutu via a memorandum and routing slip.
Why it mattersMinister Richard Ramoeletsi is accused of authorising the irregular purchase of the IEC headquarters using M80 million in unspent election funds.