- Suspicions are strong within DCEC that it is
TEFO PHEAGE
The recent announcement that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC) had dropped several cases on grounds of lack of evidence has prompted widespread suspicions within the corruption-busting agency that the Permanent Secretary to the President and Cabinet Secretary Emma Peloetletse’s case may be among them.
The status of the case is not known but DCEC is on record as saying it does not discuss individual cases. Sources at the Directorate of Public Prosecutions say the case was not complicated and should have long been concluded.
“It should have reached our desk by now,” said one source. “It was a simple case and shouldn’t have taken this long. I guess the only conclusion is that it was a stillborn.”
Peloetletse has always maintained her innocence in the allegations of corruption that were reported to DCEC by the Chairman of Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF), Solomon Mantswe, through a letter dated 23 August 2019.
The letter alleged that Peloetletse, who was one of the fund managers, had been a beneficiary of a luxurious jazz festival trip to Cape Town sponsored by Capital Management Botswana (CMB) in March/April 2017.
There were subsequent concerns that the trip may have been a factor in the increase of the CMB portfolio. In response to the accusations, Peloetletse confirmed the trip and invitation by CMB but said it was nothing extraordinary as board members had always received such things.
She denied that the trip could have played a role in the growth of the CMB portfolio. “The decision was made in accordance with the Fund’s rules and the minutes of the meeting where the decision was made are available,” she said.
Peloetletse added that at the time of the invitation to the trip, she informed the CEO of BPOPF who approved it.
The status of the case was last reported to be at investigations stage “to be concluded soon” but insiders said the file’s pigeonhole had entered the status of a lion’s den entered only by those with suicidal tendencies.