Masisi, Magosi face subpoena in P45m Karakul sheep scandal
Staff Writer | Monday December 1, 2025 06:00
The two top leaders were implicated in the procurement controversy late last year by suspended DIS legal officer, Kuda Malikongwa, in a civil lawsuit. The procurement is alleged to have been ordered by Masisi using the DIS to avoid any leak, as he was certain the unit operates in secrecy.
It is alleged that the spy chief, Magosi, was in charge of the procurement of the Karakul sheep(s) and involved three other spies as signatories. The revelation was made in court this week, where the state admitted it cannot account for the sheep said to have been sourced from Uzbekistan.
The disclosure subsequently raised questions about how the transaction was authorised, who directed it, and why no trace of the livestock exists despite the large amount of money reportedly having been spent on the purchase.
Malikongwa’s attorney, Dutch Leburu, confirmed in court that he intends to call both Masisi and Magosi to testify under oath. “Once the subpoenas are issued, the former president and the spy chief will answer directly to allegations that the intelligence agency was used to carry out an unlawful and unrecorded procurement for the personal benefit of Masisi,” he said.
With former presidents no longer shielded by immunity, Masisi will be compelled to appear before the court unless he successfully challenges the order. The case originates from a lawsuit filed by Malikongwa after her suspension and arrest in 2024, where she argues that she became a target after refusing to facilitate the covert purchase of Karakul sheep from Uzbekistan.
According to her court documents, Magosi personally instructed her to bypass all procurement rules and authorise the purchase without paperwork or oversight.
“I was told outright that the livestock was intended for then-president Masisi,” she stated. Her claims are supported by court documents, which state that a senior DIS officer was ordered to “smuggle” the sheep into Botswana using state funds, and when another officer refused to participate, she was arrested. The incident now forms part of the wider allegations of abuse of power within the agency.
The High Court has already made it clear that the matter must be heard publicly.
In August 2025, it rejected government attempts to suppress the explosive details, ruling that the allegations involve public funds and therefore cannot be sealed behind intelligence privilege.
This week’s admission by State Counsel, Rapelang Nkau, that the government does not know where the sheep are has added pressure on the state to explain how millions of pula were authorised and spent without documentation.
The state’s position is that it has no record of the animals’ whereabouts, nor confirmation that they were ever delivered following purchase, and there is no explanation of how the money was used.
This prompted Leburu to state that the subpoenas will also extend to Absa Bank and the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) as these institutions are expected to provide financial records that may help track how the funds were transferred, who authorised the payments, and whether any attempts were made to conceal the origin or destination of the money.
Malikongwa maintains that she was suspended because she refused to carry out an unlawful instruction, and after declining to approve the covert purchase, she was accused of leaking confidential information and later arrested.
“The charges were fabricated to remove me from my position and silence my concerns about irregular activities inside the agency,” she argues.
Furthermore, in her court documents, it is alleged that Masisi and Magosi used a company called Grand Technology Resources General Trading that was contracted by the DIS to provide all Botswana boarders with surveillance technology to facilitate the deal.
“The Grand Technology Resources General Trading is a company that belongs to the Afghanistan national who was used to procure the Karakul sheep,” read the papers.
According to the documents, in exchange for giving the company the tender, both Magosi and Masisi were allegedly paid with Karakul sheep as their reward for DIS tenders.
The pair has been accused of blowing State funds and using textbook money laundering as they disguised a kickback or source of funds because money could not be sent to them.
The Karakul sheep was reportedly disguised payment, and the DIS was allegedly being used to facilitate the deals because it operates in secrecy.
“The DIS was used to launder the money as it has the cover of immunity. The Attorney General and the Ministry of Agriculture do not know about these transactions and where the sheep are located,” reveals new information. It has been further alleged that the sheep were then smuggled and delivered at a place only known by Magosi and Masisi.
On the secret transactions and use of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the sheep were said to have been purchased from Uzbekistan by an Afghan national.
It is said that the money was paid to the UAE because Dubai is an international money capital, unlike Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, which are classified as centres for money laundering and terrorism by international organisations. So, Dubai was used to avoid institutions’ monitoring of money laundering and terrorism, it is alleged.
Malikongwa is suing the State for over P2m for unlawful arrest and detention.
She revealed that she was instructed to bypass all government procurement procedures and reporting lines in the corrupt and unlawful transaction, as the supplier was an Afghanistan national with existing contractual ties to the DIS.
“The DG specifically ordered me that no one should know about the procurement and that the Attorney General, the Permanent Secretary (State President), as well as my immediate superior, Director Legal - Pulane Kgoadi, were to be kept in the dark about the transaction,” she said.
Malikongwa also indicated that the sheep were to arrive at a location to be disclosed by Magosi and that he disregarded the fact that her role was not to procure but to draft contracts and ensure compliance. She alleged that she refused to perform the order, leading to frustration on the part of Magosi and severe tongue lashing(s) by him.
“The Director General refused to give any written mandate for the instruction and further refused to follow internal procurement procedures, national and international laws. He stated that the unlawful and unprocedural procurement of the Karakul sheep had been ordered by the former president, Masisi, and that the procurement had not been executed due to financial constraints,” she revealed.
The agent also stated that Magosi had further instructed that only the Directorate’s Chief of Staff should know about the transaction and that she was provided by Magosi with, and in fact met with, external agents appointed by him, to facilitate the procurement.
She alleged that as a result of her stalling, which in fact was a refusal to perform the corrupt and unlawful instruction, Magosi removed her from the contract and allocated it to a junior officer to ensure its smooth conclusion, further bypassing the Head of Legal.
The case is scheduled for a hearing following its final case management.