Suspended Chief Justice agrees to exit package

The Lesotho Government and suspended Chief Justice Nthomeng Majara have agreed on a $632 000 exit package which will see her leave office without undergoing a potentially damaging impeachment process. Legalbrief reports that Majara was appointed Chief Justice in September 2014 when she replaced Justice Tšeliso Monaphathi. She was suspended from office on 11 September 2018 and a three-member tribunal was established to try her over a litany of misconduct charges including her alleged failure to ensure the timeous delivery of justice. She was also accused of renting a house for an amount significantly higher than her housing allowance. The Lesotho Times reports that government secretary Moahloli Mphaka confirmed the deal, saying it just needs Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his coalition partners to endorse the exit package. The settlement amount is way below the $1.2m that Majara had requested in previous negotiations with the government. The report notes that Majara had unsuccessfully urged the government to actively support her bid to secure a post at the International Criminal Court in 2017.