Lesotho Intensifies Fight Against Corruption with New Measures

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Lesotho has made significant strides in combating corruption among public officials, introducing new laws and regulations to curb the menace. The country’s parliament passed anti-corruption legislation in 1999, which provides criminal penalties for official corruption.

Strengthening Anti-Corruption Efforts

The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Offenses (DCEO) is the primary anti-corruption organ responsible for investigating complaints against public sector officials. In a major breakthrough, the government enacted the Prevention of Corruption and Economic Offenses Act of 2006, which introduced financial disclosure laws for public officials.

Key Provisions

• The law prohibits direct or indirect bribery of public officials, including payments to family members of officials and political parties.
• The government has issued regulations in 2016 to initiate implementation of the law’s financial disclosure provisions.

Recent Efforts to Combat Corruption

In recent years, the DCEO has taken bold steps to tackle corruption, indicting both a sitting minister and a former minister for separate incidents of corruption. These cases are ongoing, but the move sends a strong signal that the government is committed to eradicating corruption.

Encouraging Corporate Accountability

• The DCEO encourages companies to establish internal codes of conduct that prohibit bribery of public officials.
• Most companies have effective internal controls, ethics, and programs in place to detect and prevent bribery.

Challenges Remain

Despite these efforts, corruption remains a pervasive issue in Lesotho’s government procurement process, primarily committed by lower-ranking public officials. However, no U.S. firms have identified corruption as an obstacle to foreign direct investment in the country.

International Commitments

• Lesotho has acceded to several international anti-corruption conventions, including the UN Anticorruption Convention and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
• The country is also a member of the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Reporting Corruption

Citizens who wish to report corruption can contact Sefako Seema, Prosecutor at the DCEO, at +266 2231-3713 or info@dceo.org.ls.