The Directorate of Public Prosecutions has indicated that the mysterious death of former Debswana Managing Director Louis Nchindo will not affect the case in which Nchindo and three others face corruption charges.
One of the state prosecutors in the high profile case, Matlhogonolo Phuthego, has revealed that the state will continue with the prosecution of the remaining co-accused.
Nchindo and his son Garvas Nchindo, together with Joe Matome and Jacob Sesinyi are facing charges of corruption. Before the trial, which was set for April 6 could commence, Nchindo disappeared and was later found dead under mysterious circumstances.
But the state prosecutor told Sunday Standard that Nchindo’s death does not in any way affect the trial, and his remaining co-accused will be expected in court on April 6th.
“We will definitely continue with the matter as the other accused persons are available. We will expect them in court as scheduled on 6 April,” he said.
There have recently been insinuations that the state might be forced to withdraw the case because of Nchindo’s death, as he was the key player in the case.
The state alleges that Nchindo used his company to fraudulently obtain a piece of land in Gaborone North. The defense and the prosecution recently agreed that the trial will commence on April 6. This was before Nchindo’s death. The setting of the trial date followed a Court of Appeal ruling that Nchindo and his co- accused be given further particulars of the charges they are facing.
Matlhogonolo recently revealed that they are currently providing the accused persons with the further details they demanded in accordance with Court of Appeal judgement. The case reached the Court of Appeal after it was dismissed by Lobatse High Court judge Maruping Dibotelo.
Information reaching Sunday Standard indicates that the long running case could have cost Nchindo millions in legal fees. This not least because he had engaged, amongst others, Advocate Peter Hodes through a prominent Gaborone law firm Collins and Newman. Advocates reportedly do not come cheap, charging anything in the range of P60, 000 per day. Nchindo had engaged two of them. He had also lost some of the cases with costs in his long running legal battle.
“Simple arithmetic proves that they have already spent millions in the case which is just about to start. They made court application after another,” said the source.
