Law minister implicated in M80 million election fund misprocurement
Lesotho's Public Accounts Committee questions minister Richard Ramoeletsi's role in irregular purchase of IEC headquarters.
Minister of Law and Justice Richard Ramoeletsi faces scrutiny over the M80 million irregular purchase of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) headquarters in Maseru West. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is questioning his authorisation of the acquisition using unspent funds from the 2023 Local Government Elections, which were not budgeted for in the 2023/24 financial year.
Auditor General Mathabo Makenete flagged the M80 million expenditure in her audit of the IEC’s 2023/24 financial statements, noting the commission’s failure to remit unspent budget allocations to the government’s Consolidated Fund by March 31, 2024. IEC executives, including Director of Legal Services Advocate Lehloholo Suping, struggled to explain the diversion of funds, which had been invested with Stanlib.
IEC Finance Manager Mokheseng Mofolo stated that the acquisition was approved by former Director of Elections Mpaiphele Maqutu, citing a memorandum, routing slip, and payment voucher as supporting documents. Advocate Suping admitted the commission acted wrongly in handling the unspent election funds.
Why it mattersLesotho citizens are affected by the potential misuse of M80 million in public funds allocated for elections, impacting government accountability.