Moorosi Tsiane
A BEREA man has petitioned the High Court for an order compelling Police Commissioner, Borotho Matsoso, and army chief, Lieutenant General (Lt-Gen) Mojalefa Letsoela, to return about M1.2 million he claims was seized from him by their subordinates in Leribe, Ha Kanetsi, in July this year.
In his application filed this week, Tšeliso Motlaase of Liphiring, Ha Manko, claims he was arrested by soldiers on 27 July 2024 at Ha Kanetsi.
During his arrest, the soldiers allegedly confiscated M1 160 000 before taking him to Ratjomose Military Barracks where an additional M51 500 was taken from his car. He does not explain why he was carrying so much cash.
“I was detained for four days at Ratjomose. Afterwards, I was transferred to Police Headquarters, where I was held for an additional two days. When I left Ratjomose, I was only asked to sign for M850 000 (of the M1 160 000), but was also not asked to sign for a separate sum of M51 500, which was taken from my car,” Mr Motlaase said in his affidavit.
He further claims that his wallet, containing M990, was also seized. Upon his release, he was handed back a wallet with only M590, which he refused to accept due to the missing portion of the money.
On 1 August 2024, Mr Motlaase was brought before the Leribe Magistrate’s Court, where police attempted to charge him with money laundering. However, he claims the prosecutor declined to pursue the case, citing insufficient evidence to proceed.
“The prosecutor informed the court that there was no evidence to implicate me. I was released, and I immediately demanded the return of my money. However, my request was denied,” he said.
Mr Motlaase argues that the continued withholding of his money is unlawful and without legal justification. He is now asking the court to order Commissioner Matsoso and Lt-Gen Letsoela to release the full sum of M1 212 490.
Neither Commissioner Matsoso nor Lt-Gen Letsoela had filed opposing papers when this publication went for print last night.
