MASERU — The trial of prominent television producer Habofanoe Ntsie who is facing two charges of murder took a dramatic twist this week after defence lawyers asked to play audio tapes exposing a police conspiracy against him.
Ntsie is facing two charges of murder for the death of two of his neighbours, Souru Masupha and Habaka Mahao on November 30, 2004. He says the recordings with a senior police officer will reveal that there was a conspiracy to get him killed.
Although the tapes were brought to court yesterday, they were not played because crown counsel Abram Lenono requested to listen to the tapes first before they could be played in court.
The court will hear the audio tapes on March 16.
Defence lawyers say the tapes will reveal how Superintendent Sello Mosili exposed the police conspiracy against him and how the police were planning to kill him.
The tapes are also understood to contain important information about the circumstances surrounding the death of Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s son, Maile, who was shot near Victoria Hotel in 2002.
Mosili was the chief investigating officer in the death of Maile, Masupha and Mahao.
Ntsie’s lawyer, Haae Phoofolo, put it to Mosili during cross-examination that on May 25, 2005, barely six months after Ntsie had handed himself to the police after allegedly shooting the two men, the duo had a conversation in which Mosili revealed the police’s secret activities.
But Mosili, who sat in the witness box wearing a cream brown suit jumped and stood up and said he would deny that the voice in Ntsie’s tapes was his.
The visibly angry police officer said he was unhappy that Ntsie had recorded their conversation without making him aware of what was going on.
“I will deny that that is my voice because I disagree with being recorded secretly,” Mosili shouted from the witness box.
Mosili also denied almost all the things Phoofolo put to him that he told Ntsie in their private conversation inside Ntsie’s VW Caravelle which was parked near Mosili’s home on the Berea plateau.
The court heard that Mosili and Ntsie were neighbours.
Phoofolo said it would appear in the audio recordings that Mosili told Ntsie that ballistic reports on the gun used to kill the two men would show that Ntsie’s gun was not used.
“I never said that to him. I am not an expert in guns,” Mosili said.
Phoofolo also said Ntsie’s audio records would reveal how he implicated four senior police officers of their involvement in criminal activities.
Phoofolo also put it to Mosili that it would be revealed in court that the two men reportedly killed by Ntsie were conspiring together with the police to kill him.
A retired police sergeant who testified on Monday and Tuesday told the court that Ntsie reported to her after the shooting that Masupha pointed a gun at him first.
Sergeant ’Masekhonyana Kholopane who was manning the Mabote police reception then, told the court that Ntsie got out of his car and walked straight to Masupha and shot him four times.
Kholopane reported that Ntsie frequented the Mabote police post to report that Masupha insulted him whenever they met.
On one occasion Masupha is reported to have released his cows to graze in Ntsie’s compound and when he enquired what was happening, Masupha insulted him.
Kholopane said Ntsie reported that to the Mabote police.
Mosili corroborated Kholopane’s evidence that Ntsie on several times reported to the police and to him in particular that some people including Masupha were tailing him.
However, Mosili said he was worried that Ntsie had recorded their most recent private conversation, which they had a few days before he could come to court to testify against him.
Mosili then asked Justice ’Maseforo Mahase to intervene adding that Ntsie was constantly calling him on his mobile phone.
“My Lady, the accused person recently called me on my cell phone and we talked despite the fact that I am a witness in this case,” he said.
“I ask for protection from the accused person and I request this honourable court to restrain him from phoning me.”
Mosili said they often have chats with Ntsie as neighbours.
Mosili however did not tell the court what conversation they had with Ntsie and he was not specific of the date on which they chatted over the telephone.
Justice Mahase ordered Ntsie to stand up and told him to never talk to the crown witnesses because by so doing he would be violating his bail conditions.
“One of your bail conditions is that you should not interfere with crown witnesses,” Mahase told Ntsie.
“I order you to never phone the witness and always avoid meeting him,” she said.
“You should always avoid each other.”
Ntsie, wearing a strapped shirt unbuttoned at the neck, stood calmingly as Justice Mahase gave the orders.
