Moorosi Tsiane
NOTORIOUS alleged conman, Lehlohonolo Selate, who is facing a plethora of fraud charges, heaved a sigh of relief last week after he was acquitted in one of them.
Maseru Resident Magistrate, Nthabiseng Moopisa, aquitted Selate of defrauding Standard Lesotho Bank of M460 000 in 2018.
The same magistrate had granted him M10 000 bail and M150 000 surety in that case in April this year. That was shortly after his re-arrest after he had been released on bail in a different case in which he is accused of defrauding the Lesotho government of more than M50 million.
Selate was accused in the Standard Bank case of helping Omega Ntsoele and Lisemelo Tsoaeli obtain loans through fraudulent misrepresentations, prejudicing the bank of M460 000.00.
The case had dragged in court with prosecutor Keketso Motiki saying she was failing to locate witnesses. Defence lawyer, Advocate Rethabile Setlojoane, then filed an application for the discharge of the case.
His application was then granted last week.
Magistrate Moopisa ordered that Selate’s bail money and surety be returned to him.
It is incomprehensible why witnesses could not be located in that case since Standard Lesotho Bank was the victim here and the bank could have been subpoenaed to present its side of the story.
Selate still faces other fraud allegations of which the M50 million case is the most serious.
He was in October 2021 charged alongside Ntseliseng Lawrence, Mookho Rafono, Tlali Mokoaleli, Thabang Nkoe, Hlabathe Phafoli, Thithili Makhesi, Maqoboto Lepolesa, Fako Molefe and Karabelo Makara for defrauding treasury of M50 million through fictious payments for services that were never rendered.
In another case, Selate is charged alongside Rethabile Khatleli, Phanyaka Mohlatsane, Lehlohonolo Tsiu, Maboloka Matjoa and Lineo of defrauding Maluti School of Nursing of M316 200
They allegedly stole three blank cheques from the school and cashed them at Standard Lesotho bank Pioneer Branch, causing prejudice of the M316 200.
