Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) investigations show how criminals make quick money out of Government departments through false rentals.
In two cases to be heard before the courts next month, two ministries; lands and housing and Trade and Industry lost over half a million to criminals.
The facts in DCEC documents revealed that two men Thato Kodisa and Zwelonke Siviya on different days between 28th July 2009 and 15th December 2010 in Gaborone acted jointly and in concert, with the intent to defraud, the Department of Housing in the Ministry of Lands and Housing.
The duo obtained  the sum of Three Hundred and Eighteen Thousand and Hundred pula (P318,100.00) by falsely representing to the afore mentioned department that the said amount is rental for privately leased houses situated in Gaborone, claiming that the houses belonged to Zwelonkwe Siviya and Thato Kodisa.
DCEC investigations revealed that the duo knew at all material times that they never privately leased any house to the Department of Housing and further that the two accused persons never owned such houses thereby causing the Department of housing officials to pay rental, something which the department of Housing would not have done had the true facts been known to them.
In another case DCEC documents revealed that the two  persons Keabetswe Motsamai and Joel Letsatsi on the 17th  of June 2011 in Gaborone, acted jointly and in concert, with intent to defraud the Botswana Government, of the sum of P19,320.00 (Nineteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Twenty Pula Only).
The duo knowingly gave false information to Bankgonne Gabotlale, the Assistant Director in the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs, a person employed in the public service, by issuing payment voucher in the form of Government Purchase Order No 011070/11-12/000048, as a payment for the supply and services of uninterrupted power supply to the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs.
The accused persons knew at all material times, that such information was false, thereby causing Bankgonne Gabotlale to consider and support the authorization of the payment Voucher to TED properties (Proprietary) Limited, something Gabotlale would not have done had the true facts been known to him.
The accused persons in both cases will appear in April.
DCEC Public Relation Officer Nlayidzi Gambule confirmed the cases. “We receive reports of corruption form government departments and they are those government departments that are corrupt.┬á We have established corruption prevention units across all the ministries so as to curb corruption. One of our mandates is to make sure that policies that are in place are relevant to curb corruption.”
He said Government remains a target because criminals know that every government department has a fat wallet.
