State U-Turns in Mosu Probe

  • Wants fresh investigation of Khama’s Mosu home
  • BCP wants to know what has changed

TEFO PHEAGE

The state may have turned against its own position and that of former Ombudsman Augustine Makgonatsotlhe that cleared former president Ian Khama of any wrongdoing in the construction of his Mosu retirement home.

Information before the courts suggests that the state wants a fresh probe of the matter. The head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC), Tymon Katlholo, says his deputy Priscila Israel has been pushing for the investigation of the issue to a point where she even accused him of stalling it.

But Katlholo holds that the matter was long closed by Makgonatsotlhe when he was Ombudsman. It is not yet known what areas of the case the state wants investigated. In 2018 Makgonatsotlhe released a report clearing Khama of any wrongdoing following a complaint by the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).

“It is my determination in this matter therefore, that: The complaints regarding the construction of the buildings on H.E. the President’s plot at Mosu and the water connection thereto lack merit and are not supported by any evidence, either provided by the complainants or discovered through the investigation hereof,” Makgonatsotlhe stated in his report.

In an interview this week, the Secretary General of the said while any perceived wrongdoing ought to be investigated and prosecuted, his party is against political persecution coated as prosecution. “We believe in prosecution for wrongdoing and not for political mileage,” he emphasised.

“If the state wishes to restart Mosu cases for the right reasons, well and good. The BCP called for investigations earlier but the BDP government turned it down. The question is why now? What has changed? We need answers before taxpayer funds are wasted in a political witch-hunt.”

The state, through the Office of the President, has always held that there was no abuse of office or corruption in so far as Mosu construction was concerned. The apparent turnaround has led to concerns that this could be yet another manifestation of the Khama-Masisi feud playing itself out.