Thursday, February 13, 2025

Balopi wants answers on Assets declaration

Ex-cabinet minister, Mpho Balopi has lined a series of questions for his former colleagues at cabinet with first on the receiving line this week being the Presidential Affairs Minister Kabo Morwaeng.


Balopi, who is Secretary General of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) will this week ask Morwaeng to amongst other things brief Parliament on the performance of the Ethics and Integrity Directorate as well as give an update on the declarations of assets and liabilities made to date.


Balopi wants Morwaeng to also state: how many Batswana and/or are estimated to be within the bracket of those who ought to declare their assets and liabilities and, furthermore, how many have declared.


The Gaborone North legislator also want to know if under the current law, the declarations of assets apply to Government officials and officers only and not to private citizens who are not necessarily working for Government but whose assets and liabilities are comparable to government officials and officers who declare theirs.


Amongst others, the Bill provides for the submission of declarations by the Director General, Speaker of the National Assembly, Permanent Secretary to the President as well as the Permanent Secretaries. The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes – DCEC has been identified as one of the custodians of all the declaration.


While over the years parliament has often rejected the much anticipated law which was tabled by opposition parties, in his maiden Presidential speech in April 2018, President Mokgweetsi Masisi promised the nation to bring-forth the law before the end of 2018. The Bill was however debated in 2019 and signed into a law later that year.

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