‘Powerful’ DIS agents arrested, agency in turmoil
Sharon Mathala | Tuesday March 26, 2024 06:00
On Friday, the two agents, Paul Setlhabi and Pulane Kgaosi, through their families, filed an urgent application for the court to order the DIS to grant them access to their family-appointed lawyer.
It became apparent that the two top DIS officers had been arrested on Thursday. It is worth noting that the two officers have been at the forefront of high-profile arrests, including former DIS Director General (DG) Isaac Kgosi and former Minister Thapelo Matsheka, amongst others.
The two, according to The Monitor source, held significant influence within the Directorate. DIS Public Relations Officer, Edward Robert, confirmed the arrest of the officers. "I can confirm that we have DIS officers in custody to help us with an investigation. I cannot share any other information, so I don't risk compromising the investigation," he said. However, on Friday, the agents' lawyer Kgosietsile Ngakaagae told the court that their application was not a bail application. Instead, he said they were only seeking access to their clients. "In a Republic such as ours, it is disheartening that we have to find ourselves in court at this hour asking for an order by the court for the State to allow arrested persons access to their families and their legal assistance. The State needs to be sanctioned so they know there are consequences; they need to be seriously reprimanded," he said. For her part, Prosecutor Tebogo Ntu consented that the State does not oppose the application. The court ruled that the State should allow the family and their lawyer access to the two.
However, in an interview with Ngaakagae yesterday, the senior lawyer told The Monitor that he was not allowed access to his client, Kgaosi. As for Setlhabi, Ngaakagae said he was held in custody without a warrant for well over 48 hours. “We will be filing contempt of court against the Police Commissioner, station commander at Gaborone West (G-West), Head of Investigations, and section leader at G-West who refused me access to my client despite the order that I showed them and the one they had been issued with by the AG,” he said. Asked about the accusations, Ngaakagae said the two had been released without any charges.
“They told me that even the line of questioning they were subjected to really had no clear-cut direction. Instead, during the interrogations, their homes were searched by law enforcement,” he said. Meanwhile, sources informed The Monitor that the arrest of the two agents comes after a corruption investigation against a "powerful figure in Botswana".
According to the source, the investigations are at an advanced stage and the arrest is allegedly meant to protect this figure. “It is just a ploy to know how far the officers have gone and the ground they have covered so evidence can be destroyed,” the source claims.