DIS denies tampering with DCEC investigation
Mpho Mokwape | Monday August 21, 2023 06:00
The spy unit in its defence said it was not aware of such allegations because the sealing of the corruption busting agency offices last year was never in relation to the said files.
DIS lead investigator, Jet responded in an answering affidavit saying he was not aware of any allegations by former Director General (DG) of the DCEC Tymon Katlholo linking the DIS with investigation tampering. Mafuta, who is a member of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) and seconded to the DIS, said they never requested files relating to DIS officers’ investigation by the DCEC in order to protect them. “I have no knowledge of the allegations and I am not aware of any request by the DIS for access to files relating to any of its officers.
As the lead investigator, I have no interest in the files relating to the DIS officers who are being investigated by the DCEC for the contents of such files are of no relevance to my investigation,” he said.
Mafuta explained that he had no business with the files and infact it would be inappropriate for him to access such. He added that he was at a loss as to how Katlholo chose to deliberately mislead the court into believing that the motive behind the sealing of his (Katlholo's) office and that of his staff officer was to access information relating to investigation of DIS officers with the intention of tampering with the investigations. He said the only explanation for Katlholo’s conduct was that he wanted to snatch an order behind their back and cause alarm both to the court and the public. Mafuta accused Katlholo of being an alarmist and making wild allegations which are not supported by any documentation saying the requests to his office by the DIS were all in writing and are specific as to what was being requested.
He said it was hypocritical of Katlholo to have revealed sensitive and confidential information relating to the alleged investigation of DIS officers. Mafuta added that information has since found its way into social media only to play shy and sensitive when it came to other things. On the matters of national security that Katlholo said was used as a way of harassing him and his staff, the DIS countered it by saying once again he was being an alarmist and also blowing hot and cold in that he avers that the DCEC does not deal with matters of national security. Mafuta also said at the same time Katlholo was seeking to give lectures as to how issues pertaining to national security should be dealt with.
“It is not inconceivable that a place where official records are kept can be a crime scene. The suggestion that the DIS could NOT enter the DCEC office and gain access is not only baseless but scandalous,” said Mafuta. Further the DIS argued that if indeed it was the intention to enter the DCEC offices then there would have been no need to seal the office as the files would have been accessed on that very same day. He pointed out that if the DIS indeed was a rogue organisation as implied by Katlholo, it would NOT stop it from gaining access to the alleged files when they are in the custody of the Registrar of the court. Mafuta explained that contrary to the averments made by Katlholo who was not in the country as of May 3, 2022, at no point in time were the offices of the DCEC barricaded or their employees prevented from entering or exiting the offices. “As already pointed out, the only offices which were sealed and not barricaded were that of Katlholo and his staff officer Tsholofelo Bareetsi for a reason.
He was not there at the time of the sealing and had deliberately decided to be vague and general. Contrary to Katlholo’s assertion it's clear as to the nature of the information which was being sought,” he said. In conclusion, Mafuta indicated that during the sealing of the DCEC offices there was no officer of the DCEC who was detained either as alleged or at all.
Mafuta noted that allegations of detention were downright false and said Katlholo was once again making wild and general allegations without taking the court into confidence by disclosing the names of the said officers. “Contrary to Katlholo’s wild allegation about his imminent arrest on his arrival, he is still roaming the streets as a free man despite his scandalous and alarmist accusations,” he said. The denials in the affidavit of Mafuta come after Katlholo has taken the DIS to court for interfering with the operations of the DCEC before he was suspended and subsequently fired from the corruption agency barely three months before his contract came to an end.