How Kgosi pulled the rug under the DCEC�s feet
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday August 11, 2017 15:43
Kgosi, the director-general (DG) of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS), has in the past picked incessant fights with the DCEC mainly over his pending corruption case. There was brouhaha and condemnations from the DCEC operatives about the spy agency chief’s machinations.
This time around Kgosi has buried his nemesis oversight institution, the DCEC, Machiavellian style.
Matters seemingly came to a head after the corruption busting agency slapped the DIS DG with charges ranging from corruption, money laundering, obtaining by false pretences, stealing by person employed in the public service amongst others.
Kgosi’s matter is a high profile corruption case that has apparently shaken even the government enclave with some within the ruling elite divided over the matter. One side feels the case should be abandoned whilst others feel strongly that the law should be allowed to take its course.
It’s in the public domain that the DCEC headed by the outgoing director general, Rose Seretse reported threats on its operatives reportedly perpetrated by the DIS operatives in the midst of their investigations that have seemingly taken long to conclude.
At some stage, there was a serious tug-of-war between the DCEC and the DIS sleuths as the latter’s operatives threatened the former’s investigators especially members of the DCEC’s elite unit commonly known as the special investigation and intelligence unit over their job.
At the centre of the altercations was the spy chief’s case investigated mainly by the trusted members of the elite unit of the DCEC who courageously took Kgosi head on.
The bravery of the DCEC team seemingly caught the spy agency chief and his team by surprise and piled pressure on the DIS team forcing them to be a bit rough in their response.
By some strange reasons, the spy chief, who is a close ally of President Ian Khama, is feared in many quarters and untouchable, a development that has seemingly created a false sense that he is indispensable and above the law.
With the strong arm of the law having caught up with him, Kgosi’s sixth sense taught him to find a way out of the alleged crime web. He came up with an underhand tactic that saw the spy chief pulling the rug just under the feet of the DCEC crew. He literally gave the DCEC a sucker punch, a show sign that he has been planning to smash his case to pieces just under the noses of the DCEC head honchos.
With many leaks from Kgosi’s corruption case file now in the public domain, the spy chief went for the jugular and snatched one of the DCEC chief investigators from the elite unit handling his case and enlisted the operative whom we shall positively only identify as Mbiganyi in the DIS.
The operative, who is also a pastor was paid an irresistible pay package with a higher salary scale from his previous job. Over and above that, our sources show that the new DIS catch was also enticed with an 80% allowance of his basic salary to completely abandon the DCEC and Kgosi’s case.
“This move in particular which was executed stealthily, left Seretse with a heartache as the investigator had played a crucial role in the Kgosi investigations. He was expected to lead crucial evidence in favour of the DCEC and the state case at the right time,” noted our source that is very close to the developments.
She feared that the case might not even see light of the day after such hard work and commitment of the state resources to the matter by the DCEC team. She describes the whole affair as a serious case of betrayal.
Upon his exit, the operative who hails from the North-East district had apparently hoodwinked the DCEC top brass not to worry, as he claimed that he was only joining a civilian organisation. He had claimed to be joining the retail giant Sefalana Group of companies in search of greener pastures and only to resurface at the DIS.
In no time, Seretse and her lieutenants got the shock of their lives when their fears were confirmed that one of their crack investigators had joined the rival DIS. This was the last blow, as the decision to join the rival organisation diametrically had a bearing on the Kgosi case which had been pending for a long time with the Directorate on Public Prosecutions (DPP) taking its time to prosecute.
However, deputy director of public prosecutions, Kabo Leinaeng confirmed last week that the Kgosi case was still with the DPP.
“The docket in question was sent back to the DCEC for further investigations and it was only re-submitted to the DPP in June 2017,” Leinaeng responded to Mmegi inquiries recently.
It’s apparent that a decision has not been made as to whether to charge or not.
“A decision whether or not to prefer any charges is dependant on the available evidence and at this point the evidence is being analysed,” Leinaeng said. They may not even prosecute given the damage inflicted on the case by the latest developments.
Information gathered from within the DCEC suggests that after the unceremonious exit of their operative, Seretse and her lieutenants started counting their losses and the thinking is that they feared that their former employee can only help in killing their case.
This move in particular might see the Kgosi case crumbling as the departed operative is one of the key people who questioned Kgosi and coordinated a team of investigators who came face-to-face with the spy agency chief. In the world of espionage if you sleep on the job you are gone. It’s this man amongst others who coordinated the dirty work of the elite unit’s thorough search of the spy agency chief’s personal bank accounts, properties and other assets in search of the alleged proceeds of crime.
Another move that crumbled the elite unit relates to the departure of a female operative who was also key in the Kgosi investigations (names withheld) who has since joined the Africa Development Bank after she felt that life in the elite unit had exposed them to danger from those that they followed. She simply felt enough was enough.
Had it not been for the acidic relationship the unit had with the DIS operatives and their chief, the female operative would still be in the office as she enjoyed her job.
Her departure has also, one way or the other affected progression of the DCEC investigations against the DIS DG, as the case has been moving back and forth between the DCEC and the DPP.
In another move, believed to have played a role in killing the Kgosi corruption case, an operative from the elite unit was transferred to another unit within the corruption-busting agency that literally shook the spy chief out of his wits.
In the midst of the Kgosi investigations, DCEC operatives cried foul that they did not enjoy protection from their bosses as out of nowhere, suspicions flew thick and fast that some members of the elite unit did not properly account for the sources of funds entrusted to them.
They reported that their superiors, who crushed their spirits with strong allegations that public funds were abused instead of the rightful procedure being followed, took short cuts to persecute them. A move they say sowed seeds of confusion within the unit.
Mmegi investigations have unearthed that one of the targeted operatives was nabbed, appeared before a disciplinary board and was ultimately fired on account of misappropriation of public funds entrusted to him. What is scarring is that the man was recruited from the DIS and was one of the crack investigators who apparently nailed Kgosi.
It’s not a mere coincidence that a former DIS operative investigating Kgosi found himself simply on the wrong side of the law. It’s a case of an operative who missed an intelligence step and fell into the trap of the Kgosi-leaning superiors who finished him off for good.
Information gathered from the DCEC show that when the Kgosi case was freshly investigated, the corruption-busting agency was reportedly ‘infiltrated’ by some former Kgosi loyalists from the DIS unaware of their mission. The former DCEC operative blames the DCEC leadership for naivety on simply accepting ex-DIS sleuths into their fold, who would later on became the leakage points to their former handler.
“It was not going to be really easy given the timing of their enlistment in the DCEC no matter what. Background check alone cannot help the DCEC management team rely on the current generation of sleuths,” said a former DCEC/DIS operative, who strictly spoke on condition of anonymity.
In the same vein, another DCEC operative who was part of the crack investigators in the Kgosi case is currently on interdiction on allegations that he misappropriated the informers’ funds entrusted to him.
Quizzed about the latest developments at the DCEC, the outgoing director general Rose Seretse yesterday referred the questions to the institution’s spokesperson, Phakamile Kraai stating that she was in a meeting.
Kraai confirmed that indeed Mbiganyi was previously their employee and that they are aware that he is now with the rival DIS.
“When he left, we just knew that his move was for greener pastures like anyone else who can change jobs. We only found out later that he is employed by the DIS,” he explained without any elaboration.
With regard to two former DIS operatives who were employed by the DCEC to help kill the Kgosi investigations, Kraai said they could not discuss anything pertaining to recruitment of employees.
Kraai could not explain how this could affect their corruption investigations against Kgosi, stating that they do not discuss investigations with the media.
“It’s not in our nature to discuss our investigations with third parties. So, this case is no exception. We will not share any detail relating to this matter,” he concluded. Kgosi could not be reached for comment.