BURS meets match in cigarette dealer
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday July 16, 2015 18:03
Kanjabanga and Associates have been ordered to secure the more than P1 million that they were paid by Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS).
BURS paid the firm this week pending the outcome of their case at the Court of Appeal.
The revenue service was on Tuesday running helter-skelter trying to fend off deputy sheriffs sent by the law firm to attach their movable property. These included computers and vehicles for failure to shell out money they were ordered to pay by the High Court early this year. The issue arose from a joint operation between BURS and agents of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security when they confiscated a consignment of cigarettes belonging to one Yadwesh Singh Ramjeet, which they said was illegally imported. The cigarettes were confiscated sometime last year at one of the border gates between Botswana and South Africa. Yesterday, BURS through its lawyer, Ompatile Ngoma, filed an urgent application seeking for stay of execution.
“In the event that the defendants are unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal proceedings, such amount of P1,241,000 shall be dealt with in accordance with the directions of the Court of Appeal judgment,” Ngoma said.
Ramjeet’s lawyer, Tsaone Sebinanyane said the matter was not urgent and opposed the return of the funds.
However, Justice Modiri Letsididi said the matter was urgent and the funds paid by BURS needed to be secured until the matter is over. “The issue of attachment has now fallen out because it is overtaken by events. The money will be secured at FNB (First National Bank) at Old Lobatse Road, not at the BURS account or the law firm’s.
“The new account, which the fund would be secured at, should be opened within seven days. I order that the money should be in that account within seven days,” Letsididi said.
He said the money would be released after the case is heard at the Court of Appeal.