Lesotho’s former First Lady, charged with the murder of her love rival, was granted bail on Monday despite objections from the police that she might use it to escape.
Maesaiah Thabane, the wife of former prime minister Thomas Thabane, was arrested early in June after an appeal court revoked her bail on suspicion that procedure was not followed correctly when it was granted.
In the video below, the former First Lady’s bail is revoked:
Forty-three-year-old Thabane has been charged with ordering the killing of the former Prime Minister’s then-wife Lipolelo Thabane, who was shot dead near her home in Lesotho’s capital, Maseru, in June 2017.
She denies any involvement.
When police tried to question her earlier this year, she left the mountainous kingdom for neighbouring South Africa.
“The petitioner has fled before and is likely to do so again. She is also very dangerous and has resources she can use to hire hitmen to interfere and eliminate the witnesses,” Lesotho’s Deputy Police Commissioner Paseka Mokete said in his objection to the decision.
Lipolelo was estranged from Tom Thabane at the time of the murder. He became prime minister two days after the killing and he married Maesaiah a month later.
The former leader of Lesotho’s government is also a suspect, but denies any involvement.
He is yet to be formally charged.
