Following the intensive investigations conducted by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime, some businessmen have skipped the country with more suspects expected to be arrested soon.
Information passed to Sunday Standard indicates that some businessmen linked to corruption practices and who are believed to be non citizens were engaged by the council to repair its motor vehicles are suspected to have skipped the country.
A good number of council employees are also expected to be nailed by the DCEC investigators.
Last week Thursday, two senior Southern District Council employees, whom the DCEC accuses of corruption, appeared before regional magistrate Lot Morako at the Gaborone Village Magistrate Court.
According to the charge sheet, the accused persons, Billy Kgotlhang Mophuting, 42, and Bias Silabo, 43, the Principle Transport Officer and Senior Technical Assistant Officer, respectively, sometime between the first of November and the 31st of December 2008 at or near Kanye, accepted for themselves valuable considerations in the make of an Isuzu double cab, registration numbers B512 AJR, and Toyota Hilux double cab, registration numbers B702AIM, from Pioneer Auto Services (Pty) LTD, although the company was paid the sum of P182, 501.
The third and fourth accused persons, Abdool Khan, in his personal capacity, and Pioneer Services Auto Services (Pty) LTD, whose director is Abdool Khan, are said to have corruptly offered valuable consideration to the first and second accused persons in the form of two vehicles in order that the accused persons pay to them the amount of P182 501, purportedly for having done repairs on some council motor vehicles whilst in fact and in truth such repairs were never done.
The Public Relation Officer of DCEC, Lentswe Motshoganetsi, said the council was defrauded of over P1 million.
Motshoganetsi was reluctant to confirm or deny whether DCEC had more suspects in the case.
“As you are aware investigations are still ongoing, therefore, by divulging more information on the matter we might compromise our investigations,” he said.
