Mthimkhulu accuses Sedimo of lying to Parley Committee

Mpho Mokwape | Friday January 20, 2017 15:14

Sedimo, together with the BNSC, have been accused of giving false information to the public officers and in the process making defamatory utterances.

The CEO and his finance manager, Kabelo Mmono had appeared before the committee chaired by Tati East legislator Samson Moyo Guma as accounting officers for their organisation where they were grilled over the awarding of tenders to other companies that were engaged in the BOT50 Jubilee celebrations.

A letter addressed to Sedimo dated Jaunary 17, 2017 from Khumomotse Law Practice, acting on behalf of the Dumezweni Mthimkhulu trading under D.M. Mthimkhulu Attorneys, alleged that Sedimo, when appearing before the committee, mentioned that the commission had paid the law firm the sum of over P1 million for facilitating some business transaction for BOT50.

The letter alleged that what Sedimo uttered before the public officers was false and misleading information that was later captured by the Patriot newspaper, which alleged that D.M. Attorneys had pocketed P1.1m and P60,000 respectively.

“On or about the 4th December 2016 an article appeared in the Patriot newspaper which alleged that you had presented to the Parliamentary Committee that the Botswana National Sports Council had paid D.M. Mthimkhulu Attorneys the sum P1.1m and P60,000 on behalf of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture,” reads the letter. Khumomotse Law Practice, representing Mthimkhulu, further alleged that the representations made to the Parliament committee were false and deliberately misleading in the sense that their client either personally or through his law firm has never done any work or facilitated business transactions for the BOT50 committee.

The law firm reckons that the statement amounted to a criminal defamation as it had suggested that the law firm corruptly, fraudulently and illicitly received the money from BOT50 and concealed it by receiving it through BNSC.

The letter further read:“The statement complained of is wrongful and defamatory of our client and has occasioned untold damage to our client’s good name and reputation.'

The defamatory publication was made to the Parliamentary committee which conducts its hearings in public and was seized by the newspapers, which then gave it a wide publication. The law firm is now demanding payment of damages for their client in the sum of P750,000 within three days of the letter, failing which action before the High Court will be instituted.

Moreover, the law firm holds further instructions against the Patriot newspaper seeking the same amount as the latter in damages for accusing its client of being a fraudster.

In a letter addressed to the editor dated January 18, 2017, the law firm alleged that the newspaper painted their client as a dishonest person without affording him the opportunity to comment, reply and state his views on the matter.

The newspaper is alleged to have said D.M. Attorneys received money not entitled to it through its owner as a result of him merely being a BDP member after leaving the BNF.

“The article has caused extensive damage to the client’s good name and reputation, which article was published without affording him an opportunity to comment,” read the letter.