The extradition trial in which the Botswana government seeks that the former deputy General Manager of the Botswana Housing Corporation, Gaarekwe Rabana, to be extradited from South Africa where he fled to during his trial is set to continue on March 31, 2008 in the Randburg Magistrate Court.
According to sources, the case, which was last postponed in December 2007, currently centers just on legal technicalities since the main reasons why Rabana is wanted in Botswana has been well established by the prosecutors.
“What we are seeing now in this case is generally just legal technicalities which the defence lawyers have resorted to, probably in a bid to buy time.
Our hope is that he will eventually be extradited to Botswana to stand trial,” said the source.
Rabana skipped the country close to 10 years ago whilst he was standing trial on corruption related charges .
Charges against him were that he had, whilst the Deputy General Manager of Botswana Housing Corporation, accepted bribes in the form of air tickets and accommodation fees for himself and family for a visit to the United States of America.
The State alleges that, in exchange for that, Rabana is alleged to have helped the company, which bought him and his family the air tickets and accommodation fees, to corruptly obtain a contract to construct houses in Gaborone’s Block 5.
Rabana skipped the country when the state was left with one witness who was to be called from overseas where he had relocated from Botswana.
The evidence led against Rabana during the trial was, amongst others, that he had, during the award of the tender, not followed laid down procedures for awarding a tender and sidelined other top officials who were supposed to have been involved in the tender award.
The current Director of Public Prosecution, Leatile Dambe, was prosecuting the matter whilst Abel Modimo was defending.
