A whistle blower has filed a report with the Office of the President detailing how the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) tried to block him from exposing corruption at the Department of Roads, suggesting the depths to which corruption cartels may have infiltrated one of the primary forces President Khama has counted on to combat corruption.
In his six-page long report, the whistle blower – whose name is known to this paper – claims he has SMS text messages from a DIS officer to his BDF intelligence handler revealing how DIS was planning to kill his report of corruption at the Department of Roads.
DIS Director, Isaac Kgosi, indicated that he was aware of the report, but refused to comment on its contents.
The report against DIS came at the time when the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime was allegedly investigating reports of corruption in the ranks of the spy organization.
Among issues being investigated is the report that government may have been overcharged by more than 200 percent for the construction of the Sebele access road that links the A1 main road to the DIS office. Investigations by an independent consultant revealed that the quantities for the material used by contractor, Bango Trading, in their bid for provision of overlay for the construction of the Sebele access road had been padded, inflating the construction costs by more than P 3 million from P 2, 5 million to P5,7 million.
The independent consultant found that the contractor, in their bill of quantities, billed more for the fill and the “cut to spoil” than the quantities they used.
It is understood that the investigation was, however, stopped after big names in the civil service intervened. The whistle blower says after the DIS tried to kill his report, his BDF intelligence handler “gave me tips on how the corruption cartels develop and operate over time and even how they evade the arm of the law in the process”. He then decided to sidestep everyone in the civil service and addressed his report for the president’s eyes only.
President Khama allegedly intervened, and the report that DIS allegedly tried to kill is believed to be the basis of the ongoing full scale investigation by the DCEC and other crime busting agencies, including DIS, against alleged corruption at the Department of Roads. The report was triggered by allegations of corruption in the award of the “Shoulder Construction, Resealing and Road Marking of Sebina Junction/ Masunga Road 50km, which was also awarded to Bango Trading”.
In his report, the whistle blower, who offers secretarial and consultancy services for one of the companies implicated in the Roads Department alleged corruption, disclosed that the owner of the company, who has close connections with senior officials at Roads Department, government enclave and Kgalagadi District Council, confided in him that Roads management told him that they would award the tender to a contractor they trust would employ his company as subcontractor and would not cheat him.
The company owner, who is a multi millionaire with huge business interests also in the agricultural sector, allegedly also confided that he had an argument with the Roads command over the award of the tender to Bango Trading. The whistle blower says the multi millionaire company owner was warned by department of roads high command that if he persisted in opposing the Bango Trading bid “he will not be considered for Charles Hill ÔÇô Ncojane Road, currently under tendering process or any other project in the future.” This was as far back as July. Indications are that the multi-millionaire company owner fell in line because the project was adjudicated on Friday, about four months later and his company was one of two companies in the shortlist of the multi-million pula project.
His company bid for the project, reported to have been slightly more than P550 million, was the lowest because a number of companies – more qualified than his and with a longer work experience – that had tendered bids less than P500 million for the project had been disqualified under controversial circumstances. This left him as the most likely winning contractor up against a competitor who was bidding at more than P600 million.
At the time of going to press, the Sunday Standard had not established which of the two companies had won the bid.
The huge amounts of money involved in cases of alleged corruption at Roads Department being investigated by the DCEC offer a glimpse into the buying power that big contractors have to keep public officials in their pockets. The DCEC is investigating a case in which former Director of Roads, Kabo Kote, approved a P23 million claim for delays lodged by Sinohydro for the Kang- Hukuntsi road. The project consulting engineers, Bothakga Burrow ÔÇô Binnie who it is believed blamed Sinohydro for the project delays, could only approve a payment for P400 000. The project consulting engineers were, however, overruled by Kote. The consulting engineers asked the Permanent Secretary to intervene, and the claim has not been disbursed. The project has always been a lightning rod of controversy after it came to light that government paid Sinohydro about P200 million pula more than the going rate for the construction of the Kang ÔÇô Hukuntsi road. In an earlier interview with the Sunday Standard, Kote confirmed reports by industry experts that at the current standard rate, the Kang-Hukuntsi road, which cost government P 536 million should not have cost more than P300 million.
Kote told Sunday Standard that “when we awarded the project, the price of fuel was at its highest and the cost of material was also at its highest because of the construction in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup”.
Kote, however, could not explain why the price was not revised downwards when the price of petrol dropped and the World Cup construction was completed. Pressed further, Kote explained that “the problem is that we have not built local capacity, so citizen contractors cannot compete for mega projects. There is always a danger of international cartels colluding to inflate prices.” Kote also shifted the blame on to the consulting engineers, saying, “the situation is further complicated when the contractor and the consultant are seen to be in an incestuous relationship”.
In another project being investigated by the DCEC, Kote approved a P17 million project delay claim lodged by Arab Contractors for the Dibete ÔÇô Mahalapye project. Project consulting engineers, still Bothakga Burrow ÔÇô Binnie again opposed the huge claim and were again overruled by the former director. The claim has also not been disbursed.
The former Director also approved a P17 million clam by Arab Contractors for the Dibete ÔÇô Mahapye project. Project Consulting Engineers, still Bothakga Burrow Binnie, opposed the huge claim but were again overruled by the former Director.
The DCEC investigation is currently ongoing and is expected to involve a number of important figures in the civil service.
STORY CONTINUES NEXT WEEK
