Lesotho Tribune can exclusively reveal that the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) entered into a secret and highly irregular Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mergence Investment Managers Lesotho, a company recently flagged by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for questionable dealings. The MoU, signed without proper authorization or legal clearances, effectively tied LMPS to a commercial development scheme on police-owned land, with LMPS providing land while Mergence would raise capital and run a retail shopping complex..
The MoU That Should Never Have Been Signed
The MoU, seen by Lesotho Tribune, sets out that Mergence would raise capital, manage construction, and operate a retail centre on police land, while LMPS would contribute the land itself. Profits would be shared. The terms were bold and commercial.
Yet the Police Act No. 7 of 1998 is clear: the role of LMPS is to uphold the law, preserve peace, protect life and property, and bring offenders to justice. Nowhere does it empower the police to repurpose state land into joint ventures with private financiers.
The document itself acknowledges that such agreements must be cleared by the Ministry of Police, the Attorney General, and other relevant authorities. But there is no evidence that these approvals were ever sought. Instead, the MoU was executed in the shadows, sidestepping the checks that safeguard public assets.
Witness to a Deal, But Not Its Contents?
The MoU was signed on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Compol Borotho Matsoso. His deputy, DCP Paseka Mokete, signed as a witness.
When Lesotho Tribune questioned DCP Mokete about his role, his response was startling:
“I did witness the signing of the MoU, but I know nothing about the contents of the MoU/document.”
The answer raises more questions than it answers. How could a senior police officer, entrusted with the highest duties of law enforcement, affix his signature to a binding document yet plead ignorance of its contents? Was he misled, sidelined, or now attempting to distance himself from a controversial deal? Whatever the explanation, it speaks to institutional negligence at best and complicity at worst.
A Compromised Partner
Even more troubling is the choice of partner. Mergence Investment Managers Lesotho has been a recurring feature in PAC inquiries into the management of pension funds. Questions of conflicts of interest, opaque structures, and possible capture have dogged the company.
To hand over police land to such a firm shows a reckless disregard for governance. It also entrenches suspicions that the LMPS, rather than protecting state resources, is now entangling itself with private interests whose track record is already under scrutiny.
“He Believes He Is Untouchable”
One senior cabinet member, speaking to Lesotho Tribune on condition of anonymity, said he was “not shocked” by Compol Matsoso’s involvement.
“This is not surprising at all. Compol Matsoso has long acted as if he is untouchable. He undertakes deals that no accountable public officer should touch, and yet he carries on as though laws and institutions do not apply to him.”
Such remarks underscore a deepening perception that the leadership of LMPS has drifted into dangerous territory, insulated from oversight and emboldened by impunity.
Ministries and Mergence Stay Silent
Lesotho Tribune put questions to both the Ministry of Police and the Ministry of Finance, asking whether they had knowledge of or authorized the MoU. Neither responded.
Mergence itself also did not comment, despite repeated requests. The silence is telling. If the deal were above board, the parties would have no reason to withhold explanations. Instead, the absence of accountability only heightens suspicions that the MoU was deliberately concealed.
A Pattern of Capture
This deal is not an isolated episode. It forms part of a disturbing pattern in which public institutions in Lesotho are repeatedly roped into irregular partnerships with politically connected companies.
The pension fund scandals, also involving Mergence, revealed how public savings were exposed to conflicts of interest. Now, with LMPS land at stake, even the country’s police force—the very institution meant to uphold the law—appears ensnared in the machinery of capture.
What makes this case particularly egregious is the symbolism: if even the police, guardians of the law, are seen to be cutting illegal deals, what message does that send to ordinary Basotho about the state of governance?
Where Was Oversight?
By law, the Ministry of Police and Public Safety, the Attorney General, and Parliament should have been consulted before any land-based agreements were signed. These institutions are the gatekeepers meant to prevent precisely this kind of misuse of state assets.
Their failure to intervene raises serious questions:
• Were they deliberately bypassed, or did they choose to look away?
• Why did the Ministry of Police remain silent when its own department was implicated?
• And why did the Ministry of Finance, custodian of state assets, not issue any caution?
Legal and Financial Risks
The MoU as it stands is legally unenforceable. Without statutory approval, it lacks legitimacy and can be voided at any time. But the risks are broader.
If Mergence invested money on the basis of this document, disputes could arise that drag LMPS into costly litigation. Public land could become entangled in court cases, delaying its rightful use and exposing taxpayers to unnecessary liability.
Meanwhile, the reputational damage to LMPS is immense. A force already struggling with public trust now faces accusations of being complicit in the very forms of corruption and capture it is supposed to fight.
Questions That Demand Answers
This unfolding scandal leaves urgent questions on the table:
• Who initiated the discussions with Mergence?
• Did Compol Matsoso act alone, or was there political backing for this deal?
• Why did DCP Mokete sign as a witness without knowing the contents of the MoU?
• What due diligence was done on Mergence before handing them police land?
• And most importantly, will anyone be held accountable?
A Dangerous Precedent
If allowed to stand, the LMPS–Mergence deal sets a precedent where any public body can sign away state assets under the cover of “joint ventures,” with no legal authority or oversight. This is not only illegal; it is corrosive to democracy.
For ordinary Basotho, the consequences are far-reaching. Land that should serve the public interest risks being diverted to private enrichment. A police service that should be beyond reproach now appears compromised.
The Road Ahead
The MoU is still just a piece of paper. It can and should be nullified. But that alone is not enough. There must be accountability. Those who abused their positions to sign unauthorized deals must face consequences.
Parliament, civil society, and watchdog institutions must insist on answers. Silence from ministries and Mergence cannot be tolerated. The integrity of public assets—and public trust in the police—depends on it.
What is clear is this: the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, whose mandate is to uphold the law, has itself broken it. In doing so, it has handed the country yet another reminder of how far state capture has spread, and how urgently accountability is needed.
