Mohloai Mpesi
THE Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL) has suspended 10 employees pending investigations into allegations of dishonesty and misconduct.
The employees, all Customs Inspectors, are accused of engaging in dishonest activities at their respective duty stations.
The RSL issued an internal memorandum on Monday, notifying staff of the suspensions under the subject: “Suspension from duty pending investigations in respect of customs inspectors.”
“Members of staff are hereby informed that the Customs Inspectors listed below have been suspended from duty effective from the date of this memo,” the memorandum states.
“This follows alleged acts of dishonest misconduct against them and the subsequent pre-suspension hearings held for each of them today.”
The suspended employees are: Moiloa Chatsane, ‘Mataba Molatelle, Lira Lephole, Karabelo Hlalele, ‘Maleepo Ntšala, Ntaoleng Rantsane, Mamello Makhebesela, Serialong Possa, Khotso Poto, and ‘Mabokang Mokhatla (nee Itumeleng Lefojane).
Contacted for comment, RSL Communications Manager, Tšepang Mncina, said the memorandum was intended for internal communication and not for public dissemination.
“That communication was intended for staff, unfortunately, it found its way into the media, and we don’t know how. We are not in a position to comment on what the 10 RSL employees did or which stations they were responsible for.
“As soon as there is something concrete, we will issue a statement. Right now, it is premature to talk about these issues,” Ms Mncina said.
This latest development comes in the wake of an incident last December when two RSL employees were caught red-handed accepting a bribe from an importer at Pitso Ground, Maseru. Acting on a tip-off, the RSL Anti-Corruption and Ethics Department, with police assistance, carried out an operation that led to their arrest. The duo, who were part of the RSL’s Anti-Smuggling Unit, were allegedly soliciting bribes from importers.
Additionally, in September last year, the RSL disclosed that it had lost an estimated M4 million due to corruption between April and August 2024. The agency revealed that 14 employees had been charged with corruption, fraud and money laundering following investigations conducted between February and April 2024.
