VZCZCXRO9584
RR RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0371 2151431
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 031431Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2195
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 2491

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