Africa-Press – Lesotho. TWO MPs for the Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party who were arrested this week for a traffic offence say they have instructed their lawyers to sue the police commissioner for malicious arrest.
Thuso Makhalanyane and Lejone Puseletso were arrested on Monday night at their homes and were taken to the police headquarters for questioning over their bodyguards’ behaviour.
“I have already instructed my lawyers to sue,” Makhalanyane said.
“I want this matter to be dealt with to finality,” he said. Puseletso said he wants to sue the police for traumatisinf his minor children when the police arrested him on Monday night.
“I have instructed my lawyers to draw a case against the police commissioner,” Puseletso said.
Makhalanyane told thepost that the police called him on Monday at around 5pm saying he was to be briefed about his driver and he drove to the police headquarters only to be told when he arrived there that he was under arrest.
He was questioned and released at around 11pm. Puseletso said the police called him on the same evening but he did not go until they went to his home to arrest him at around 8pm.
The two MPs have alleged that they are victims of a state-orchestrated attempt to silence them because they are in a faction of the RFP that has challenged several decisions made by the party’s leadership.
Makhalanyane and Puseletso have been at the forefront in criticising the RFP’s meritocracy policy which they say has now been replaced by open nepotism in favour of ministers and those close to Prime Minister Sam Matekane.
Their arrest came a few days after RFP secretary general and Communications Minister Nthati Moorosi said those who were bent on destabilising the government would be arrested.
Makhalanyane and Puseletso’s bodyguards were still in police custody at the time of going to print last night. Makhalanyane said they were travelling in a convoy of two cars with Puseletso while their bodyguards were closely following them.
When they arrived at the traffic lights at Mookoli, along the Main North 1 Road, their escort car did not stop when the traffic lights turned red thus committing a traffic offence.
He said a traffic cop who was nearby stopped the escort car and the bodyguards tried explain to him that they were escorting the MPs but all was in vain.
There was an argument until the bodyguard left, he said. He said that was the beginning of their problems. “The police refused to listen and made the issue a big deal, also instructing the bodyguards to report to the police on Monday,” he said.
“On their arrival there, they were detained and never taken to court.
” Makhalanyane said he called the police headquarters to hear when his guards would be released but was never answered. He said while inquiring about his guards the police lured him to the station saying he should come for feedback on the status of the case.
“I was in parliament, but immediately I sensed what was about to happen and I sent someone home to fetch my warm coat,” he said.
He said when he arrived at the station, he was then arrested and detained for hours while the police were trying to lure Puseletso into the same trap.
“Puseletso refused until the police took me at night to his house where we found him and I talked to him to come with us to the police station,” he said.
He said the police started taking statements at around 11pm. “To my surprise, in the middle of writing the statements we were told to leave unconditionally.
” Makhalanyane accused the government of using the state security institutions to fight its political battles. He said their arrest was done to scare them from naming and shaming some corrupt MPs.
“They are aware that we are not going to allow parliament to pass these reforms in the form that the government wants,” he said.
Makhalanyane said the government wants to pick certain parts of the Omnibus Bill and pass them in parliament because they suit them instead of working on the whole Bill as is expected.
“These reforms died a long time ago,” he said. Puseletso, the Thaba Moea MP, said the heavily armed police arrived at his home and arrested him in front of his minor children.
“I am going to take all of them to court for coming to my house with big guns to traumatise my children and wife,” Puseletso said.
He said his wife and children were crying hysterically when he was “maliciously arrested and put in a vehicle”. He added that he was arrested despite that he was not the driver when the traffic offence happened.
“We are not small children who can be arrested and released for no reason. We want to work on this issue to finality,” he said.
Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli confirmed that the two MPs were picked up on Monday night for questioning. “They were released, we are now left with two guards here,” Commissioner Molibeli said.
Commissioner Molibeli said the bodyguards were arrested for harassing traffic officer who pulled them over for committing a traffic offence. He said the two men became unruly when pulled over and they shoved the policeman and dragged him out of the road so that they could pass.
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