DCEC 'cowboys' allegedly assault Seretse's employee
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday April 20, 2018 13:46
According to an employee at the company, the DCEC assaulted Tabengwa in full view of staff members as she insisted to go with an attorney to an interview they had called her for. “She received a call from the DCEC directing her to come to their offices for an interview. She told them she would not go without an attorney. She told them that Ngakaagae was still in court,” the source said.
The source said they were then shocked to see the officers arrive at the office only to assault Tabengwa. “She insisted that she needed an attorney to go with her to their interview, but then they told her she was under arrest. There was then an altercation and they assaulted her breaking the boardroom door in the process,” the terrified employee said.
Contacted for a comment, Ngakaagae said he was yet to familiarise himself with facts of the matter as he had just gotten back from a trial in Mochudi. He said he was aware of the matter and asked another attorney Plato Gaoboi to accompany Tabengwa.
“I am yet to meet Tabengwa and the attorney then we will decide on the way forward. I gather they did not even have any warrant of arrest and even went on to damage property. It is shameful of the DCEC to be busy harassing junior employees at the company who never benefited anything from the amount that the DCEC is investigating. They are being arrested while owners of the transaction involving P230 million at the Directorate on Security and Intelligence (DIS) are not being arrested,” he said.
“We are waiting to be instructed and will get the responsible officers prosecuted. We will have them charged for malicious damage to property and unlawful arrest. We will also report the assault case to the police and have the DCEC discipline the officers. Our position is that the DCEC officers have turned into outlaws and we need to nip the conduct on the bud,” he said.
Ngakaagae said he did not have a problem with his clients being investigated, but have a problem with the DCEC officers taking the law into their hands. He said they should get warrants for searching and arresting individuals unless they run away or try to dispose off property.
“What these rogue cowboys are doing is not okay. They have brought their mis-education from the police service to DCEC, where they just get to places, kick doors and arrest people without warrants. We will demand that they be prosecuted and be fired from work,” he said. He said if the State fails to prosecute the officers concerned, it would result in his clients instituting private prosecution.
Ngakaagae slammed the DCEC for being scared of facing DIS boss, Isaac Kgosi and other senior government officials at the cost of ordinary people.
Seretse and business partner, Botho Leburu and former Director of Energy, Kenneth Kerekang have been charged with money laundering involving P230 million which was withdrawn from the National Petroleum Fund (NPF) to build petroleum storage facilities for the DIS. The DCEC spokesperson Phakamile Kraai said they were not aware of such operation.