PAC rejoices as High Court dismisses LEC bid

The Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) board’s efforts to stymie a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probehas been dealt a heavy blow after Chief Justice SakoaneSakoane ruled that the case is not urgent and removed it from the roll.

In the High Court ruling today, Chief Justice Sakoanesaid the LEC’s application “is not urgent and is stuck off.”

The decision clears the way for the PAC to continue its investigation into the alleged financial mismanagement and misuse of funds at the national power utility.

The PAC chairperson, ‘Machabana Lemphane-Letsie,expressed the committee’s satisfaction with the High Court ruling.

“We are pleased with the court’s ruling today, which affirms our mandate to investigate alleged corruption and malfeasance without interference, because we are concerned about the misuse of public funds.

“We have already sent summons to the LEC board, demanding their presence on Monday next week, and we are expecting them to comply. They are bound by the law to do so,” Lemphane-Letsie told the media.

The board was seeking the court to compel PAC to furnish and or dispatch the record of the board’s testimony before the committee between May 6 and June 2, 2025, within 14 days, or within a timeframe determined by the court, almost a month after the proceedings commenced.

The LEC board had also requested that the PAC be interdicted from summoning it to appear before committee for questioning on matters pertaining to the company’s operations.

They were also seeking a declaratory order asserting that the PAC acted beyond its authority in investigating matters not covered by the law in its proceedings.