Maseru - Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has gone to South Africa to see a doctor, his son told Reuters, after Thabane missed a court appearance over his former wife's death.
Earlier police said they were unsure of his whereabouts.
Thabane was due in court at 9 am (0700 GMT) over the death
of Lipolelo Thabane, who was shot dead in June 2017 near her
home in the capital Maseru two days before he took office.
But by 11 am, Thabane was not at the court.
"I'm still trying to confirm his whereabouts and whether or
not he will show up. We don't know," Deputy Police Commissioner
Paseka Mokete said.
Thabane's current wife, Maesaiah Thabane, has already been
charged with ordering Lipolelo's murder but is currently out on
bail. Police said on Thursday that the prime minister would also
be charged with murder.
The love triangle murder case has stunned the southern
African kingdom, a mountainous state of 2 million people
encircled by South Africa with a long history of political
instability.
The dock sits empty as people await the arrival of Lesotho's Prime Minister Thomas Thabane in court in Maseru. Picture: Sumaya Hisham/Reuters/African News Agency
Reuters could not reach Thabane's office for comment.
The prime minister told local radio on Thursday that he
would step down at the end of July, but he did not mention his
wife's death and cited old age instead.
Both Maesaiah and Thomas Thabane, who married two months
after Lipolelo's killing, have denied any involvement in her
death.