The Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime says they remain reluctant to discuss contents of investigations on the Director of Intelligence Service.
The DCEC says the case is similar to all the other cases they are investigating.
DCEC came on the back-foot after Botswana National Front President Duma Boko wrote them a strong worded letter accusing DCEC for concealing corruption allegations against DIS head.
The letter alleges that the DIS director’s company known as Silver Shadows conducted some security consultancy services for Debswana in terms of agreement signed between the DIS Director and Debswana Diamond Company.
He further states in the letter that the consultancy services were undertaken by personel from DIS who carried out what was, in all aspects, a private job using the resources of the government and for the private gain of the Director.
In an interview with Sunday Standard the , DCEC , Spokesperson, Lentswe Motshoganetse stated that the DCEC is not usually allowed to discuss cases that are currently under investigations in the media.
Motshoganetsi emphasised that the cases such as the one which the DIS director is accused of corruption was not an exceptional case that would be warranted to be discussed in the media because there are many such cases that the DCEC is investigating.
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“It takes time to investigate corruption matters and there are many cases that are currently under investigations. I think the whistleblower was impatient on the matter. It takes time for us to investigate such matters, it can even take five years,” added Motshoganetsi.
When quizzed why the DCEC retrieved a docket relating to DIS boss from Directorate of Public Prosecution , Motshoganetsi explained that they usually recall dockets to address some loopholes that could be discovered.
“We always lose cases in court of laws because of technicalities and we retrieve such cases to fill any loopholes that could exist, “he added.
He refuted accusations that they were hell-bent on concealing matters involving “Big Sharks”. He explains that they cannot sweep cases under the carpet because the DCEC is not a one-man show .
However , DIS , Director, Isaac Kgosi stated that it was funny to hear some accusations against them but could not deny to have been called by DCEC who enquired about the allegations.
He said that he would have loved Boko to come with evidence relating to corruption allegations against him. He denied to have used government employees to run his errands under his company known as Silver Shadow.
Kgosi dismissed claims that his company was avoiding to pay tax since it was not vat registered company despite its financial records showing that it should be.
“DIS focuses on curbing corruption and I will be dumb for me to be involved in corruption related matters,” said Kgosi.
The DIS boss emphasized that Silver Shadow is a vat registered company and there is a record at BURS that shows that the company complies .
He however dismissed that his company (Silver Shadows) conducted some security consultancy services for Debswana in terms of an agreement signed between the DIS Director and Debswana Diamond Company in September 2010.
Boko stated that it would appear that the consultancy services were undertaken by officers from DIS who carried out what was, in all respects, a private job using the resources of the government and for the private gain of the Director.
“The Director of DIS would clearly either have created the need for said consultancy and used inside information gained from his official functions as Director of DIS or used the clout of his office to solicit private security related jobs for his company,” added Boko.
Boko stated that the DCEC were furnished with information suggesting that the Director who is public officer was living way above his means and he has become a very wealthy man who owns tracts of land, debt free and unencumbered immovable property as well as shares in business outfits such as Choppies. Boko also stated that the DIS director recruitment and engagement of private companies that provide services to DIS were clouded with irregularities.
