South African intelligence officials are probing a Botswana national (name withheld) for bribing a South African magistrate to block his extradition to Botswana. Police are investigating the duo and may lay a charge of defeating the ends of Justice and corruption. South African intelligence officials announced on Friday that a senior magistrate had been arrested in Midrand after receiving over R150 000 from a Motswana man.
It is believed the money was meant for the magistrate to influence the outcome of an appeal by the Botswana national against repatriation to stand trial in Botswana in a corruption case. The Botswana national is a former Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) deputy chief executive who has been on the run for the past 10 years. The man is accused of corruption corruptly awarding millions worth of tenders to construction companies for the building of BHC houses around Gaborone. The former BHC man is accused of intentionally excluding high ranking officers from the tender adjudication process. Since he skipped the country 10 years back there has been a long running extradition battle. According to close sources intelligence officials got a tip off and arrested the magistrate shortly after he accepted the R150 000. The money was meant to influence the outcome of the extradition appeal although it not yet clear how the arrested magistrate was sort to manipulate the judicial system as the matter had been referred to the High Court.
At some point the record of the whole case is reported to have mysteriously disappeared prompting a High Court to order a construction of the case record. The Midrand Magistrate has ordered that the Botswana man be extradited to his home country to face corruption charges. The South African courts have also hinted they will bring corruption charges against the Botswana man. At the time of going to press the Director at the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Leornard Sechele was not available for comment.
