(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU – PRIME Minister Sam Matekane has condemned rogue elements in the Directorate on corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) for taking bribes.
The premier also criticised
government officials who he said were involved in corrupt activities and take bribes.
Matekane was speaking at the celebration of the International Day to End Corruption held in Mohale's Hoek on Monday.
The event was meant to raise public awareness on the impact of corruption
It was also meant to mobilise people to stand up and join the fight against corruption and other related crimes.
Matekane said law enforcement agencies and oversight institutions have agreed to collaborate on areas of mutual interest.
“In 2023 people were arrested and put before courts of law and a lot of money was saved in the process,” Matekane said.
“I am confident that more work is yet to be done under strategic partnership to end corruption.”
Matekane said they have pumped resources into the DCEO by increasing its budgetary allocation from M23 million in the 2022/23 financial year to M74 million in the 2023/24 financial year. As a result, the DCEO had recruited about 57 new officers bringing their staff complement to 130
Matekane said the new appointments saw the DCEO solving more than 50 major corruption cases, recovering hidden funds from outside the country.
He said the net effect of all the work being done from the last financial year to the present continues to highlight the presence and impact of the DCEO in the fight against corruption.
Matekane said the government is not going to tolerate corruption in all its forms, whether it is from government ministries, the law enforcement agencies or any other perpetrators.
“To those still corrupt, they are going to answer to the law and due diligence is going to be done,” he said.
The DCEO Director General Knorx Molelle said Lesotho was deemed among the most corrupt in the 2022/23 years
“While we are close to the publication of the 2024 results, we expect them to show more improvement, given the work that was done with a resourced DCEO,” he said.
Molelle said all those perpetrators and government officials involved in corruption are going to face the might of the law.
“Lesotho must be a corruption-free zone,” Molelle said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Paseka Mokete urged Basotho to immediately report any corrupt dealings, highlighting the collective need to reduce corruption.
“As a nation, we must adopt a participatory approach for public awareness in an effort to fight corruption,” DCP Mokete said. Mokete issued a toll free number where people can immediately report fraud and corruption: 80000012
Khahliso 'Molaoa
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