Witnesses testify against 'CMS mastermind'

ISAIAH MOREWAGAE
Staff Writer | Monday December 20, 2010 00:00

 

Lokwae, who surrendered to the police early this year, is charged with two counts of fraud involving P7,269,429.80.

The state alleges that Lokwae and others not before court defrauded the Government of Botswana the sum of P3,797,300.42 as a payment for pharmaceutical drugs that were never delivered by Mogoaduba Holdings.

The other count is that, Lokwae, together with others not before court allegedly defrauded the government by claiming that they sold and delivered drugs worth P3,472,129.40.

Key testimony in the trial came from an accomplice witness who is described as the mastermind of the crime.

In his evidence in chief, the accomplice witness told court that he was introduced to some account holders by Lokwae. He also told court that he accompanied Lokwae to submit payment documents at Government Accounting and Budgeting Systems (GABS).

Lokwae has asked the court to furnish him with the case record that involved the accomplice witness. He is certain that the accomplice witness used names other than the ones he gave the police.

Lokwae is the alleged mastermind of the P21 million Central Medical Stores (CMS) fraud which is before Gaborone Chief Magistrate, Barnabas Nyamadzabo.

He was initially charged with 11 other men, but he disappeared before he could be tried. During the two years that he was on the run, the case against the others continued and is nearing completion.

Meanwhile, the outgoing Regional Magistrate Lot Moroka is expected to decide the fate of eight men involved in the P21 million CMS case.

The case continues today when the court will rule on whether to have a separate trial for Clement Molefhe and the other seven accused.

Molefhe has been unable to come before court due to ill health. The state had applied for separation of trial to avoid further delays.

The case initially involved 11 men: Jabulani Johnson (33), Norman Maja (48), a driver at CMS Aaron Babolele (29), a senior administration officer at CMS Lebogang Kaisara (31), a storekeeper at CMS David Tumagole (37); Patrick Cole (36), a director of a company based in South Africa called USASA Molefe (35), a site manager at USASA Otsile Mosarwe (29), and Jenamo Mfana (35), a director of a refrigeration company, and Abram Marumo.

They collectively face four counts of obtaining by false pretences. However, Johnson, Mosarwa, and Mfana were acquitted and discharged after Moroka found that evidence induced by the state did not link them to the alleged crime.