Sunday, February 9, 2025

Katlholo accused of stonewalling National security investigations

The Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) lead investigator Jet Mafuta has portrayed Tymon Katlholo’s court application as a ruse to deflect public attention from the DCEC’s apparent plan to obstruct investigations against the Khamas.

Mafuta, who is leading DIS investigations “in a matter involving the former Director General of DIS Isaac Kgosi, former President Ian Khama, Tshekedi Khama, Anthony Khama and Seleka Springs has deposed an affidavit that, “the investigating team which I lead does not seek to interfere with any investigations conducted by the DCEC irrespective of whom the subject of the investigations is.” The claim is “intended to cause unnecessary alarm and portray the DIS as a rogue Organisation.”

Responding to accusations by the DCEC’s Director General, Mafuta deposed an answering affidavit suggesting that Katlholo was frustrating the investigation which arose from a threat made by Kgosi that he will topple the government. “Law enforcement agencies were alarmed by the utterances. Subsequently a search and seizure warrant was obtained to establish whether Mr Kgosi had the capacity to topple the government. A task team comprising of members of law enforcement agencies, that is, the Botswana police service (BPS) the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS), the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) and the Botswana Unified Revenue Services (BURS) was set up to execute the warrant.”

Mafuta states that, “from the search conducted from the premises of Mr Kgosi several firearms and ammunition were seized. The seized firearms and ammunition were handed over to the Botswana Police service for further investigation. Almost two (2) years went by with nothing happening and sometime in December 2020 Mr Kgosi filed an application with the High court for the release of the firearms and ammunition seized at his premises in 2019. It was only then that the DIS took up the responsibility to investigate the matter and I was appointed the lead investigator. It became clear during our investigations that the Botswana Police Service had not taken any steps to investigate the matter ….. Upon inquiry I was informed a decision had been made by the Botswana Police service that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime would conduct investigations into possible abuse of office in line with the provisions of the Corruption and Economic Crime Act by the former Director General Mr Isaac Kgosi in respect of the acquisition, ownership and registration of the firearms with the Central; arms Registry under the Botswana Police Service.

“This explanation necessitated further investigation which entailed interviewing officers of the DCEC to find out the progress if any, they had made in their investigations. To that end on the 14th December 2021 a letter was written by DIS acting Director General Tefo Kgotlhane to the DCEC director General requesting the release of the relevant officers to the investigating team for interviews. The DCEC officers required for the interview were Carlos Salbany, Tsholofelo Bareetsi and Deputy Director General operations Priscilla Israel.

Mafuta says except for Israel, the other DCEC officers only showed up for the interview two days later. He says on the 7th of February 2022 the DIS Director General wrote another letter to Katlholo asking him to release some DCEC officers to help in the” investigation referred to above.”

He says “up to the present day” Katlholo “has failed, refused and or neglected to release the officers in question with the result that the investigations have stalled.”

Mafuta says around 16th February 2022 the DIS wrote another letter to Katlholo asking him to release some DCEC officers and for access to the graft burster’s information relating to the investigation the DIS was conducting. He said Katlholo refused to share the information with the DIS.

“On or around the 18th March 2022 as part of the ongoing investigation, I arrested among others, the Directors of Seleka Springs (Pty) Ltd being Mr Anthony Goitsemang Khama and Mr Tshekedi Khama. During the course of interviewing the Directors of Seleka Springs it was revealed that the company was involved in the supply and installation of Encryption solution project to the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime at a cost of around P5 million. It was also revealed that the same solution has been further supplied to other government ministries and departments by Seleka Springs acting as an agent for the main company being Crypto AG based in Switzerland. Further investigations have revealed gross irregularities with the tender process followed as well as loss of government revenue on account of failure of the encryption solution.”

Mafuta says it was against this background that on 5th April 2022 a letter was written to Katlholo asking for information on the DCEC dealings with Seleka Springs. He claims Katlholo withheld some of the information requested by the DIS.

Mafuta says on 28th April they wrote another letter asking for the missing information. The then DCEC acting Director General Priscilla Israel gave the DIS the missing information and the green light to interview the relevant officers. He says during the interviews it was revealed that information relating to Seleka Springs was in the custody of Katlholo and Tsholofelo Bareetsi. “The same applies to information relating to the investigation on firearms seized from Mr Isaac Kgosi in 2019. It was also revealed that Katlholo was not acting on any of these files and had not assigned any of his officers to action the said files. It was further revealed that Katlholo was actually restricting the release of information to DIS investigations.

“on the basis of these revelations I came to the reasonable suspicion that Katlholo was deliberately stalling and obstructing investigations by DIS into both Seleka Springs and Mr Isaac Kgosi. It was for this reason that I took a decision that given that Katlholo was out of the country, it is imperative that his office and that of his staff officer be sealed pending their return so as to protect the integrity of the evidence in their custody.”

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