Maseru, July 01— Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS) Chief Officer Intelligence Unit, Letlisa Tsietsi says there was no involvement of officers in the escape of six inmates on December 21, 2023.
This, he said when testifying before the Commission Of Inquiry on the incidents of December 21 and 22 last year after the Commission Chairperson Justice Realeboha Mathaba told him that one of the people who testified earlier indicated that one of the officers was seen talking with one of the inmates on December 21 during the day and later told his cellmates that there was going to be a search.
Chief Officer Tsietsi said when they were conducting internal investigations on the escape of inmates, they were only focusing on the visitors who came to see inmates around those days.
However, Justice Mathaba ordered him to go and establish if there were any officers who participated in the escape of inmates.
Justice Mathaba further indicated that security officers must all times be alert or vigilant as per regulations thus questioned how the escaped inmates managed to squeeze themselves in the air brick in turns and even jumped a fence which is metres away.
“Either there was no one patrolling that night or whoever was on duty was not vigilant,” he said.
Responding on this matter, Chief Officer Tsietsi said the inmates did not take a long time to escape through the air brick and requested to respond in camera on this matter with other concerns he had as a person, for security issues.
The Commission, which was established in line with the Public Inquiries Act of 1994 shall amongst others, examine, appraise and evaluate the security measures within LCS, investigate on the instances around operations undertaken by members of LCS after the escape of inmates as well as to investigate and determine the circumstances that led to the use of force during the search operation.
The government is expected to spend about M2 Million on the Commission of Inquiry.
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