Ex DCEC Director discusses charge Kgosi enigma
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The former Director of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Tymon Katlholo has hinted that it may be just a matter of time before the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) Chief, Isaac Kgosi is brought to book.
As the founder of DCEC having served at the corruption busting agency from 1997 to 2009, Katlholo led the marathon and high profile investigation on the late former Debswana Managing Director and political kingpin Louis Nchindo. “The Setlhowa land scandal involving Louis Nchindo, his son Garvas, and Matome and Sesinyi was a mountain to climb but it eventually saw the light of day,” he said, adding that the embattled DIS Chief may also face the music at some point.
Nchindo was involved in corruption scandal relating to acquiring a large chunk of land throughout Botswana, which included in Gaborone – for purposes of tourism development. He was said to have corrupted public officials to acquiring the land and ended up facing 32 charges together with his son Garvas, and other former Debswana employees. The charges emanated from his (Nchindo) time while he was at DeBeers and Debswana and the matter was thoroughly investigated by Katlholo under the DCEC and he was tried and charged for the crimes.
When speaking in an exclusive interview with WeekendPost this week, Katlholo highlighted that he would not comment much on the matter as he may prejudice the case but emphasised that Bakang Seretse, who is facing money laundering charges involving more than 250 million pula maybe has a point in calling for all implicated parties to be tried in the same breadth.
“I understand the frustration coming from Bakang Seretse and his lawyer Kgosi Ngakaagae, generally there are far too many stories implicating the incumbent DIS General from way back but are not thoroughly investigated and maybe tried at the court of law to either convict him or clear him,” he highlighted. He continued: “so, he (Seretse) has a point. You must establish the principal. You see there can never be any money laundering without the principal offence because the money laundering offence is instigated on the principal offence.”
The former DCEC Director went on to state that he however believed that the organisation is working around the clock to bring everyone including the DIS Director to book if there is sufficient evidence that warrants so. “Just give them a chance, it is their own strategy. As of now they are looking at the facts before them. So maybe it is too early to start condemning them.” Katlholo stressed that cases of corruption by their nature take a lot of time, maybe up to 5 to 7 years and gave an example of the Nchindo case that he says took five years to crack.
Of corruption, curse and political interference
Katlholo further told this publication that corruption by its nature has something known as public opprobrium which is like a curse; that is when you approach people to ask them questions as DCEC but they are unwilling to open up and so sometimes when you are involved in an investigation, you go through those difficult challenges affecting your investigation negatively.
He added “again, I do not know whether there is political interference or not. But it is in the nature that sometimes political interference is inevitable but I wouldn’t say there is political interference in the Bakang Seretse case but it is inevitable.” According to the corruption expert, this is precisely due to the fact that you are dealing with high profile people having a certain reputation to protect. So he advises that in such cases, there is need for political will because a country and its leadership has respectful division of labour and therefore what the DCEC, DIS and DPP are separately doing in their own right ought to be respected.
Kgosietsile Ngakaagae, attorney representing Seretse in his money laundering case recently turned the gun on the corruption busting agency, dismissing it as biased and hopeless. The attorney asserted that “the real question is we are questioning power and because of that we are being harassed. That’s the trouble here. Our clients are being harassed simply because they demand answers as to why some people are not being charged when they are charged when those people are the owners of what they are alleged to be charged with or to have committed.”
The attorney said the DCEC only went after the small fish, people accused of stealing two hundred pula or having small traffic fines “and then bang two hundred and fifty million pula gone and what do you do? You can’t look at power in the eye and say you should account.”
DIS intimidating DCEC?
According to the anti-corruption Specialist, he does not know the relationship between DIS and DCEC but he does not see any reason why the DCEC should be afraid of DIS and vice versa as they both have their own mandates. “In a law enforcement environment, you don’t investigate someone not at the behest of anyone but at the behest of the law. It is the law that says you go and investigate. On that account there is no reason why you should therefore be fearful of anyone or favour anyone. Because you are guided by the law, it’s a basic concept of the rule of law.”
If there is corruption, he said, it should be investigated and if there is proof that implicates some people they should be dragged to court like anyone else. “There is no reason why the DIS Director or anyone should be feared. The DCEC is constitutionally established and it has the backing of the statutes, unless if they were operating on a vacuum then one would understand.”
Honours only on DPP to prosecute
He also stressed that the DCEC doesn’t prosecute so if they investigate a matter and put the case before the DPP then the prosecution honour is therefore on DPP and not DCEC. Meanwhile, last year in June, the then DCEC Director Rose Seretse testified before a Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) that the docket in which they were investigating Kgosi for money laundering and possible corruption were completed. She said it had been passed to DPP for the next course of action. However, to date, nothing has been heard of the case as the DPP has yet to act on it.
The DPP however contradicted the statement saying the investigations were still ongoing and that they had referred the docket back to DCEC. In a separate savingram, Kgosi was also at some point said to be implicated in spying on and intimidating the DCEC unit investigating him over corruption allegations, an allegation which he however denied.
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Mascom, Letshego partner to deliver the MyZaka instant loan
Letshego Botswana has recently partnered with Mascom to launch the Mascom MyZaka Instant Loan, a customer focused mobile money microloan service designed to provide customers with swift and convenient access to funds, driven by the underlying theme of “Ithuse” meaning “help yourself”
The loan is said to have been developed through a partnership driven by a deep customer focus with the key objectives of access, convenience and flexible financial support to customers of Letshego Botswana and Mascom through instantly disbursed short-term loans from P50 to P1 500 over the period of one month.
Letshego’s head of transformation, Molebogeng Malomo highlighted that working through agile methodologies, the partnership was able to develop and be released as what they call a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or solution. “In keeping up with the spirit of design thinking and agile methodologies, the experiences and viewpoints of both Letshego Botswana and Mascom’s customers will be valuable to inform further enhancements to the Mascom MyZaka solution,” he said.
He further noted that the partnership and the development of the MyZaka instant loan will provide both the organizations to diversify their offering and customer base, while also offering the customer more choices and flexibility to initiate and be in control of their loan requests through the self-service mobile based application.
Mascom’s Chief Executive Officer, Dzene Makhwade-Seboni also alluded that their origins, priorities and initiatives are firmly rooted in Botswana and in the success of all Batswana, and that their strategy and intent is supported by embracing innovative problem-solving.
“The speed with which Letshego has grown over the years gives us confidence that we have partnered with the right service provider. Their expertise and most of all, innovation, a value we both share, will be beneficial to MyZaka Mobile Money for growth and for the convenience of our subscribers,” she concluded.
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DCEC granted warrant to arrest Khama twins
The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) has been granted permission to apprehend the former Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, and his twin brother Anthony Khama.
Information gathered by this publication suggests that the DCEC is actively searching for the Khama brothers, this is in connection with events that transpired whilst Tshekedi was Minister of Environment. The duo is currently in exile in South Africa together with their elder brother, and former President Lt Gen Ian Khama.
Approximately two weeks ago, the corruption-busting agency discreetly filed for an arrest warrant that was approved by the Broadhurst Magistrate Court for the two to be taken into custody, according to a highly placed source within the government enclave.
DCEC is also said to have filed an affidavit signed by a high-ranking officer known to this publication. Reports indicate that after being presented with details of the case, the Broadhurst magistrate issued the agency an arrest warrant.
It is also believed that the agency has been conducting extensive investigations into the supposed suspects for quite some time. Furthermore, Weekend Post has it on good word that the DCEC has been looking for methods to summon the two for questioning but has been unsuccessful.
According to unconfirmed reports, DCEC met with attorney Victor Ramalepa, who refused to accept the summons, saying that he is not their attorney. Furthermore, it is believed that DCEC has enlisted the assistance of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) in flagging the suspects’ names in the International Criminal Police Organisation INTERPOL.
Responding to WeekendPost enquiries, DCEC spokesperson Lentswe Motshoganetsi said, “I am not in good position to confirm or deny the allegation,” adding that such allegations may fall within the operational purview of the DCEC.
When contacted for comment, Ramalepa briefly stated that he is unaware of the purported arrest warrant. “I know nothing about the warrant and I haven’t been served with anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, former president Lt Gen Ian Khama recently issued a statement stating that DIS is intensifying the harassment and intimidation of him, family, friends and office employees.
“It is reprehensible for state officials and agencies to abuse government resources to terrorise their own citizens for personal gain,” said the former president in a statement.
He also stated that his brother TK’s staff and security were ordered to falsely implicate him. “Their desperate tactics will never work, it only serves to motivate me more to pursue regime change and free Botswana from tyranny,” he said
This comes after the corruption busting agency wants to interview the alleged suspects as they are still hiding in South Africa since last year.
Despite the hostility between government and Khama family going unabated, last month, Masisi extended an olive branch to Khama in political rally, indicating that he hopes the two of them settle their differences, of which the former responded by welcoming the gesture.
Khama further said his brother, Tshekedi, will facilitate the reconciliation of his behalf. Many have indicated that Masisi did not say what he said in good faith, and was only scoring political brownies since he was in Khama’s territory in Shoshong.
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DCEC’s Tshepo Pilane still has his mojo
Tshepo Pilane silenced his critics after being named the head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) in May of last year and served his opponents humble pie. Many believed he would only last for a month, but almost a year later, he is still standing.
Pilane, a trained soldier whose appointment surprised both the general public and some officers within the DCEC walls, has never glanced back in his duty to steer the DCEC ship forward.
It is alleged that immediately after his appointment the man embarked on a nation-wide trip touring the DCEC offices across the country in order to confirm and reaffirm the DCEC’s mandate. Sources from inside the DCEC claim that Pilane won the hearts of many DCEC employees due to his humility and plain message; “people at the top of the DCEC will come and go but the mandate of the DCEC remains relevant and unchanged.”
Pilane was appointed the Acting DCEC Director General at a time when the organisation was undergoing turbulence through court proceedings in which the suspended Director General Tymon Katlholo had interdicted the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) from accessing the DCEC premises. At the time, the DIS had raided the DCEC offices in the absence of Katlholo claiming to be looking for high profile corruption cases allegedly held by Katlholo.
At the time Pilane was Head of the DCEC Intelligence Division holding the position of Senior Assistant Director General reporting directly to the Deputy Director General Operations Ms Priscilla Israel. Contrary to his detractors, Pilane who is a reserved and humble person by nature won the support and backing of many DCEC officers due to his unassuming nature.
In a recent questionnaire sent to the DCEC regarding Pilane’s term in office, the DCEC was resolute on its commitment towards the fight against corruption. When quizzed on allegations of rife corruption since he took over, Pilane through his Public Relations (PR) office stated that the corruption landscape in Botswana remains unchanged as the DCEC continues to receive reports on allegations of corruption with sectors such as procurement (tenders and supplies), Transport (licensing and certificates), and land (dubious allocation and collusion) still leading issues reported. This trend has been consistence in the DCEC database for more than 10 years.
When further quizzed on accusations that suggest that due to the infighting at the agency, particularly at the top management, Investigations of cases has dropped significantly the DCEC claimed ignorance to the matter, stating that they are not aware of any “infights” at the DCEC “at the top management”, further stating that, investigations of cases has increased significantly, contrary to the allegations raised. “The DCEC is currently seeking new ways of expediting the investigations in order to fast track its enforcement role,” said the DCEC Head of Public Relations Lentswe Motshoganetsi. He further stated that the DCEC is in pursuit of high profile cases involving money and assets valued over P900 million. Three companies are involved in the scandal and two cases have already been committed to court while on one, investigations are about to be completed.
When WeekendPost inquired about Pilane’s roadmap, the DCEC stated that in the past, anti-corruption interventions were reactive, particularly in dealing with national projects that involve large sums of money. It was further started that in most instances investigating such matters takes a long time and in most instances, the money looted form Government in never recovered. As a result, the DCEC has taken a deliberate stance to attach its officers from the Corruption Prevention Division to be part of the implementation of these projects before, during, and after implementation.
The DCEC cited the Economic Stimulus Programme which, although meant to grow the economy and uplift Batswana from poverty, yielded incidents of corruption and poor workmanship. To date, the DCEC is still grappling with cases as some projects were not done, or were completed with defects beyond repair. Currently the DCEC is involved at the Ministry of Education conducting project risk management in the Multiple Path Ways Program at Moeng College and Maun Senior School. This intervention will spread to other sectors of the economy as part of the DCEC’s corruption prevention strategy.
Of recent, the DCEC has been in the media for all the wrong reasons following leakage of high profile cases and allegations claiming that the executive management is at war with each other more particularly with some within the agency harbouring ambitions to dethrone Pilane from the Directorship.
Although the infighting was denied by Pilane’s Office, he acknowledged that leakage of information is a problem across Government and stated that it is a pain at the DCEC. He however stated that Staff has been cautioned against leakage of investigation information and that they have roped in the Botswana Police to assist in investigating incidents of leakage. He further stated that they have increased continuous vetting and lifestyle audits for DCEC employees in order to enforce discipline.
Pilane’s term comes to an end in May 2023 after serving the DCEC for a year on acting basis. It will be in the public interest to see who will be given the baton to continue the anti-corruption journey if Pilane’s contract is not renewed. The DCEC has seen arrival and departure of Director Generals having alternated the top seat five times in less than seven years.