Lesotho’s Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who failed to appear before the court on Friday to face charges of murdering his estranged wife and the attempted murder of her friend, has denied reports that he has fled the country, reported Reuters.
On Friday, Thabane’s private secretary Thabo Thakalekoala said the 80-year-old Thabane, who left Lesotho on Thursday, had a pre-arranged doctor’s appointment in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.
“He is not attending court, he has gone for a medical check-up in South Africa,” Thabo Thakalekoala told AFP news agency.
He added that it is a routine medical check. Notably, Thabane’s current wife, Maesaiah, also has been charged with murder in the death of his previous wife, Lipolelo, who was shot dead in June 2017.
Lipolelo was murdered just two days before Mr. Thabane became prime minister in 2017. The prime minister and his wife both deny having any role in Lipolelo’s death.
A statement from his office said that the prime minister respects the rule of law and that he plans to appear before the court when he returns from South Africa.
In a telephonic interview with Reuters, Thabane’s son Potlako said that his father was in South Africa “to see a doctor.”
Potlako added that his father had not fled Lesotho.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete, who led the investigation, told reporters he was not aware of Mr. Thabane’s whereabouts but said that if he was out of the country receiving treatment then they would wait to resume the case when he returns. Thanabe’s court appearance will be rescheduled.
“We cannot at this stage say he is contemptuous [of the court],” Mokete added.
On Thursday, Thabane told a Lesotho radio station that he would step down at the end of July. However, he did not mention anything about the murder case, rather cited old age as the reason behind his leaving the office.
