Former President Lt Gen Ian Khama faces an array of possible criminal charges ranging from money laundering to possession of military grade surveillance equipment.
Sunday Standard has turned up docket CR 179/07.19 which has been gathering dust at the Botswana Police Service (BPS) implicating the former president in in an alleged money laundering scheme.
According to the docket record, Khama’s private security is being paid through Avante Security. Investigators traced the money from Mmakau Mining which is owned by South African business woman Bridgette Motsepe. Allegedly, the money, P5 million was routed through Cyprus and Absa bank in Seychelles before being transferred to the Avante Security account in Botswana. Both Cyprus and Seychelles have recently been removed from the AU blacklist of tax havens.
It is understood that Khama’s head of security was recently arrested in connection with these allegations.
The state is also expected to file charges against the former president after he was found in possession of equipment that enabled him to track the movement of all aircraft in Botswana including incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s presidential jet.
The Directorate of Intelligence Services, Botswana Defence Force and Botswana Police Service have since seized Khama’s radio communication war room establishment which was set up in Ruretse.
It is understood that the“ground to air radio/system” is military standard and sold with an end user certificate.
End-use certificates are not issued to private individuals and form a line of defence against the diversion of authorized small arms transfers. These documents help to ensure that legally transferred small arms and light weapons reach their authorized end-user, are used in a manner consistent with their authorized end-use and are not diverted to the illicit market.
Khama’s possession of the military grade equipment is believed to have exposed Botswana to censor for violating the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) which outlaws the diversion of military equipment covered by an end use certificate.
In June 2019 Botswana ratified the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), becoming the 104th state to join the ATT. The ATT entered into force for Botswana in September 2019, 90 days after their ratification. By ratifying the ATT Botswana bound itself to take domestic measures to monitor the transfer of arms.
Investigators have allegedly also established that Khama’s high frequency military grade equipment has not been licensed by BOCRA.
The communication/radio room found at Ruretse can allegedly be used to detect movements of aircraft including that of the President.
A source within the intelligence circle has revealed that they suspected the ground to air radio communication set was used for clandestine operations or black operations against the current government.
The source revealed that the operation started on 1st January 2018 with a team of seven groups.
“We suspect that it was a team of ex-soldiers and had been operating ground to air operation of military standard for their special operations,” said the source.
The source revealed that the high frequency radio equipment was found at Ruretse. The equipment allegedly poses a threat to national security because BDF, BPS and BOCRA are not aware of its existence.
Meanwhile DIS lawyers and Khama’s lawyers will square up at the Appeals Court in Lobatse next week. This was after the appeals court directed that the case in which the DIS wants to search Khama’s official residence at State House 4 should not be heard ex parte.
