In a case that could spark diplomatic tensions between Gaborone and Pretoria, the Botswana government has approached lobby group AfriForum to assist them in tracing millions of Pula allegedly laundered from the country.
Botswana’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Advocate Stephen Tiroyakgosi on Tuesday held a joint media briefing with AfriForum’s private prosecution head advocate Gerrie Nel, in which he expressed his country’s displeasure with a lack of response to their mutual legal assistance request from the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).
“Our brief is to enquire and facilitate any necessary requests or developments relating to the request for mutual legal assistance (MLA) in the Bank of Botswana fraud and money laundering matter presented to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) of the Republic of South Africa under reference CONS/0668/2019 dated September 25 2019 of which the first request had inexplicably disappeared or ignored,” Nel said in a letter addressed to Dirco.
In the letter, dated Tuesday June 23, Nel said the initial mutual legal assistance request was hand-delivered to a senior Dirco official but nine months later the DPP remained uninformed of any feedback or communication about this request.
“Having been briefed on the facts of the matter and particularly the suspects identified, in the application, the apropos and irresistible inference is that the South African government is disinclined or even unwilling to assist our client with the request,” Nel’s letter read.
Nel named businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe as being the person of interest in the matter.
“In an endeavour to ensure that the application is dealt with without any further delay or excuse, our client has prepared a duplicate MLA to be submitted to your department. This document was delivered to the Botswana High Commission in Pretoria on June 8 2020. We are informed that your department was unable to receive the document owing to the ongoing lockdown. The fact is however that the original MLA was submitted to your office already on September 19 2019,” the letter read.
Mrs Motsepe-Radebe now has the perfect opportunity to prove her innocence and ask the South African government to cooperate.
Nel told Dirco that their mandate included taking legal action that would ensure that the application receives the assiduous attention it deserves.
“To avoid drawn out and what would likely become very public litigation, you are kindly requested to: Indicate what the status of the request for mutual legal assistance is? When a response could be expected?” read the letter in which they demanded that a Dirco should respond within seven days.
The Botswana government claims nearly $48 million (around R820 million) was stolen from their public funds and deposited into various international bank accounts.
Nel said AfriForum wanted to determine in which accounts this money was deposited.
According to Nel, Motsepe-Radebe was last year identified as a co-signatory to at least two bank accounts (one of which is an Absa and one a Nedbank account), which represents a portion of the more than $10 billion allegedly stolen from the Botswana government to fund a “coup” before the national election in that country.
Nel said this would be a perfect opportunity for Motsepe-Radebe to prove her innocence.
“Mrs Motsepe-Radebe now has the perfect opportunity to prove her innocence and ask the South African government to cooperate. Our office wants to make sure that there is equality before the law and that anyone, regardless of their family or political commitment, can be investigated,” said Nel.
There is no truth to these allegations. I have never laundered money. I have denied these allegations since December last year on the basis of readily available evidence. Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe
But Motsepe-Radebe once again
denied these allegations.
In a statement issued by Motsepe-Radebe’s public relations specialist Bridget von Holdt, she said the allegations were baseless.
“There is no truth to these allegations. I have never laundered money. I have denied these allegations since December last year on the basis of readily available evidence which has already been widely reported on in both South Africa and Botswana media. The allegations in Mr Jako Hubona’s affidavit have already been discredited and refuted before the Botswana High Court including by an analyst who conducted a forensic investigation into the claims and has confirmed on oath that Blue Flies and Fire Flies are not registered companies. Furthermore, both Absa and Nedbank have also confirmed in writing that the bank accounts referred to, do not exist,” read the statement.
South African businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe has accused a Botswanan investigator of lying under oath when he implicated her in the alleged theft of more than $10 billion (R146 billion) from the diamond-rich country.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said it was a privilege for his organisation to be able to collaborate officially with the Botswana government.
“It is imperative that we as fellow Africans – who want to help ensure that our continent is successful – do everything possible to eradicate fraud and money laundering. Our continent and sub-continent have immense potential that is hampered by corrupt elites. AfriForum is therefore committed to strengthening the hands of the Botswana government in this necessary fight against corruption.”
SOURCE: News24.com
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