OPPOSITION LEADER CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF UNLICENCED

UNCLAS MASERU 000371

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ASEC LT
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF UNLICENCED
FIREARMS

REF: MASERU 286; MASERU 265 AND PREVIOUS


1. (U) Summary: The leader of the opposition Basotho National
Party (BNP),Major General Justin Lekhanya, and several members
of his family appeared before a Maseru district court on July
27, charged with contravening provisions of Lesotho's Internal
Security Act. According to local sources, a police search in
early July found the Lekhanya family in possession of several
unregistered firearms. Following the court appearance, the BNP
party released a press statement assailing the action as a smear
campaign by the ruling party to bring the country's leading
opposition party into disrepute. While it is uncertain whether
Lekhanya's case is related to the June killing of a political
rival, there is no doubt that the lead-up to legislative
elections in 2007 is increasingly volatile. End Summary.


2. (U) BNP President Justin Lekhanya, his wife Sophie, and three
immediate family members appeared before Maseru's Magistrate
Court on July 27, charged with illegal possession of three
pistols, seven shot guns, an Uzi sub-machine gun, and several
rounds of ammunition. The charges stemmed from a comprehensive
search that Maseru police had conducted on July 2, following the
fatal shooting in June of a renegade BNP member (ref X).
Lekhanya had turned over numerous weapons during a previous
search, which police later returned to him. Authorities
released Lekhanya and his family after paying a bail deposit of
approximately $65.00 each. No court date has been set.


3. (U) In a July 29 press release, the BNP confirmed that
criminal charges had been filed against Lekhanya. The BNP
argued, however, that all of Lekhanya's weapons were fully
licensed and that he would be vindicated in court. The party
alleged that the charges were part of a political smear
campaign, intimating that the governing party, the Lesotho
Congress for Democracy (LCD),was posturing in advance of
general elections next year. The BNP complained that after the
alleged shooting in January of Foreign Minister Monyane Moleleki
(a member of the LCD),which he had attributed to elements
within his own party, the police had failed to mount a similar
crackdown against LCD leaders.


4. (U) The BNP appealed to its members and to the general public
not to let political tactics dissuade them from participating in
2007 general elections and "ensuring a democratic change of
government." The party also claimed that the legal action
targeting Lekhanya would not appease public dissatisfaction over
a reported corruption case in which government officials
allegedly obtained luxury sedans at below-market prices.


5. (SBU) Comment: It is not surprising that Lekhanya's court
case has political dimensions. He is a shrewd and veteran
politician who, as a military commander, led Lesotho's military
regime in the 1990s. His BNP party holds only 17 percent of the
parliament and does not pose a serious electoral threat, but may
use these and other legal cases to refute election results next
year. The firearms-related charges against him raise many
eyebrows in Maseru, where illegal guns flow freely.
Nonetheless, the apparent assassination in June of a rival BNP
member further muddied the already murky waters of Lesotho
politics. It is uncertain whether Lekhanya's case is related to
that political killing. It is more certain, however, that the
pre-election environment is increasingly volatile. End Comment.

MURPHY