The DCEO’s u-turn of shame
As directorate admits Monokoane case based on lies
‘MATHATO SEBOKA
MASERU – A stunning and humiliating about-turn that has sent shockwaves through the justice system has forced the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) to withdraw its application to review the acquittal of Peka constituency legislator Mohopoli “Hippo” Monokoane.
In a confession that lays bare the failures of the state’s anti-graft machinery, the Directorate admitted on Monday that its entire bid to revive the corruption charges against the outspoken Member of Parliament (MP) was “fundamentally flawed” and built upon a foundation of “false and misleading” information provided by its own prosecutor.
The dramatic reversal effectively ends – for now – the high-stakes legal saga surrounding the prominent businessman-turned-politician, who has continuously claimed that the theft and corruption charges against him were a politically motivated witch-hunt designed to silence his dissent against the ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) led by Prime Minister Ntsokoane Matekane.
In an unprecedented admission of institutional failure, the DCEO revealed that a five-month internal investigation, spanning from December 2025 to April 2026, found that the application to challenge Chief Magistrate ‘Matankiso Nthunya’s ruling was deeply flawed. The investigation uncovered that the allegations of corruption against the Chief Magistrate – specifically that she acted irrationally in dismissing the case – were based on fabrications.
“The application has been premised on false, misleading and improperly presented factual assertions by the prosecutor responsible for the case,” reads a DCEO statement, marking a dramatic shift from its previous aggressive stance.
“Those assertions were then used to ground serious allegations against the presiding judicial officer. These allegations included assertions of corrupt conduct in the dismissal of the case.”
The directorate has since initiated disciplinary proceedings against the prosecutor who mishandled the matter and withdrew the High Court application, admitting that the situation risked undermining public confidence in the institution.
The case dates back to November 2024, when Monokoane, his company Hippo Transport Inc (Pty) Ltd, and store manager, Lebohang Mathibela, were first hauled before the Maseru Magistrate’s Court. The charges were startling – the alleged theft of government fertilizer meant for poor farmers, initially valued at M42 000, later revised to M74 800.
However, from the outset, the prosecution’s case was plagued by bizarre and chaotic administrative failures. Just months into the proceedings, in March 2025, the case collapsed when the court was informed that the case docket had mysteriously disappeared from the court’s registry. Adding insult to injury, the DCEO prosecutor, Advocate Lebohang Motelle, failed to appear in court, citing illness. At the time, a frustrated Monokoane told the court, “It is surprising that the DCEO is absent and, at the same time, the docket has suddenly gone missing.”
The case lingered in limbo until December 1, 2025, when Chief Magistrate Nthunya delivered a decisive blow. Citing the DCEO’s failure to provide particulars requested by the defence back in August 2025, and the “inordinately long delays” caused by the prosecution’s lack of preparedness, she dismissed the matter for lack of prosecution.
Notably, the DCEO prosecutor was absent from court that day as well.
To understand the context of the DCEO’s aggressive pursuit of Monokoane, one must look beyond the fertilizer and examine the political battlefield of the country’s parliament. Monokoane is not merely a businessman; he is a vocal critic of the RFP’s internal management.
Monokoane left the ruling party earlier this year under a cloud of acrimony, defecting first to the Basotho Action Party alongside Matala MP Dr Tšeliso Moroke. However, his political ambitions have not stopped there. Just last week, Monokoane announced that he is in the process of forming an entirely new political party, claiming that several disgruntled RFP MPs are poised to join him in a bid to reshape the nation’s political landscape.
In an explosive interview, Monokoane alleged that Prime Minister Matekane runs the party unilaterally and uses state resources to target dissenting voices. He specifically named the DCEO, the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, and the Lesotho Defence Force as instruments of persecution.
“I am not surprised at all,” Monokoane told the Sunday Express when the DCEO first sought to revive the charges.
“Just look at the timing – a day after I indicated that I was forming a political party. I have always maintained that these are politically motivated charges.”
The DCEO’s internal review, which lasted from December 2025 to April 2026, painted a damning picture of the prosecution’s conduct.
The DCEO has since reaffirmed its “full respect for the independence and integrity of the judiciary,” a stark contrast to its earlier characterization of the Chief Magistrate’s ruling as “deeply flawed.”
While the DCEO has stated it may still explore other legal grounds depending on the history of the case, the withdrawal of the review application represents a significant legal and public relations victory for Monokoane.
As he continues to organize his new political party aimed at challenging the RFP in the upcoming electoral cycle, the failed prosecution is likely to become a central plank of his campaign narrative: a populist businessman persecuted by a corruptible system for daring to speak truth to power.
For the DCEO, the scandal has exposed a critical vulnerability. By admitting it relied on “false” information from its own officers to level accusations of corruption against a sitting Chief Magistrate, the Directorate has significantly damaged its own credibility.
For now, the rule of law has prevailed, but the stench of the aborted prosecution – and the political machinations believed to be behind it – lingers over the Lesotho capital.
