The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has reinstated corruption charges against former Department of Lands employee, Andrew Rugaganisa, and former Gaborone City Council employee, Mmoniemang Molapisi, after the case had been dismissed for failure to prosecute.
This was confirmed by Wesson Manchwe of the DPP.
The case involves the fraudulent allocation of plots in Gaborone?s Block 9 area and is scheduled to be heard from July 30 to August 2, 2007.
The state maintains that Rugaganisa gave the Director of the Ministry of Lands and Housing false information in regard to some plots in Gaborone whilst Molapisi is said to have given the Permanent Secretary in the same Ministry false information in regard to the plots.
All the concerned plots are linked to Nina Properties whose director, Borzoo Parastaran, former Broadhurst Magistrate Terence Rannoane ruled has a case to answer.
Currently, the buildings which Parastaran had allegedly intended to turn into a private school stand vacant on the disputed plots. Apparently, this happened because the council had refused to give the concerned parties a license. The plots were initially meant for a public school in the area but that information was allegedly not forwarded to the relevant authorities.
The cases followed the Lesetedi Land Commission, which revealed that there were some irregularities in the way some plots were allocated in and around Gaborone. These will be the first cases relating to the Commission to reach the Courts of Law. Several related cases are reported to be still under investigation by the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime.
In a related case of alleged corruption in the allocation of land in Gaborone, one time Permanent Secretary in the former Ministry of Local Government and Lands, Elvis Mhlauli, is expected to appear in court on a date to be set to answer charges of corruption. His charges relate to the allocation of a plot at the River Walk Mall.
Dick Bayford represented the residents of Gaborone?s Block 9.
