Maseru — Lesotho Correctional Officers who are currently remanded in custody for allegedly assaulting an inmate, Bokang Tsoako, to death remain members of the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) until proven guilty by a court of law.
This was confirmed by LCS Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Pheko Ntobane, in an interview with the Agency. He said the officers will continue to receive their monthly salaries while the matter is before the courts.
Assistant Commissioner Ntobane disclosed that the officers are 10 in number and are remanded at Mohale’s Hoek Correctional Institution.
He further indicated that police investigations are ongoing regarding officers who allegedly assaulted inmates during a search exercise, leaving one inmate, Mr Tlotliso Bereng, paralysed.
In an earlier interview, the Minister of Law and Justice, Mr Richard Ramoeletsi, said the Ministry will prepare appropriate measures based on the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry’s report, which is yet to be debated by the National Assembly.
He said the report will be handed over to the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the LCS Commissioner for further action.
The Minister explained that the relevant departments will determine how to implement the recommendations, including the possibility of conducting disciplinary hearings by the LCS Commissioner.
Meanwhile, the arrest of the 10 officers follows police investigations prompted by the Commission of Inquiry report into the escape of inmates, which was released in June last year.
The Commission, established in 2024 and chaired by Justice Realeboha Mathaba, was mandated to investigate operations undertaken by LCS staff following the escape of inmates on December 21, 2023. It also examined the circumstances that led to the use of force during a search conducted at Maseru Central Correctional Institution on December 22, 2023.
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