This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
Lesotho's former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his wife are accused of paying hit-men $24,000 to kill his estranged wife Lipolelo in 2017, according to a police affidavit.
Thabane and his wife Maesaiah allegedly wanted Lipolelo dead so that Maesaiah could assume the position of First Lady, Deputy Commissioner of Police Paseka Mokete said in an affidavit.
Thabane physically pointed out the residence of the deceased to his co-accused, Mokete said, adding that the couple had promised to pay the killers the equivalent of $179,485 in instalments.
Initial payments totalling 400,000 maloti ($23,931) were made after Lipolelo's assassination on 14 June 2017, police said.
Thabane has denied involvement in the murder, but police have found his mobile number in communications records from the crime scene.
