Kgosi demands P30 million
Mpho Mokwape | Friday September 25, 2020 17:06
The former director of Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) has issued a statutory notice for defamatory allegations levelled against him by the State.
In the notice dated September 16, 2020, Kgosi says besides the money, he is also demanding a public apology and retraction and an undertaking by the State that it will desist from making, publishing or cause to be published any further defamatory statements about him.
According to the notice, the demand’s origin is that Kgosi said he was defamed by Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) lead investigator, Juko Hubona in an affidavit he deposed in relation to the case in which Welheminah Maswabi known as Butterfly has been charged with three counts including financing terrorism.
Kgosi explained that on October 25, 2020 Hubona deposed an affidavit in opposition to Maswabi’s bail application at the High Court where he made serious accusations against him.
“The allegation in the said charge sheet and Hubona’s affidavit are defamatory of client as they falsely implicate him in theft of large sums of money from Bank of Botswana, money laundering and terrorism,” reads the notice.
According to Kgosi, some of the defamatory statements made by Hubona are that on June 9, 2008, Bank of Botswana created three special units under the instruction of former President Ian Khama and him, with opening balances running into millions of pula.
He said Hubona alleged that the said money was then transferred into various bank accounts around the world and further alleged that on February 15, 2019 an amount of USD 48m of the stolen money was transferred from Makhota Bank in Indonesia into Standard Bank account in South Africa under the names Kgethem (Pty) Ltd.
“It is further alleged that I became the signatory to the said account on February 12, 2019 and that later the said amount was cleared or authorised by the Reserve Bank of South Africa,” Kgosi said.
“The statements in the Hubona affidavit are wrongful and unlawful and were made with the nefarious intent to damage and injure his good name and reputation.
These accusations and allegations are not only false but were deliberately fabricated as demonstrated,” he said.
Kgosi further said both directors of Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the DCEC had the documents in their possession, but they still proceeded to make damming allegations against him in the Hubona affidavit.
Kgosi also denied all the allegations made by the State and that failure by the State to meet his demands, he shall approach the High Court and seek an order.
The statutory notice by Kgosi’s attorneys Thabiso Tafila and Unoda Mack is addressed to the Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, director general of DIS, Commissioner of Police and director general of DCEC.