FIA study exposes troubles in some Asian businesses
Friday, April 18, 2025 | 1460 Views |

Bopelokgale Soko. PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG
While the country’s regulators, including the Botswana Unified Revenue Service, have previously pointed to the possibility of tax avoidance and dirty money amongst some local businesses with owners of Asian origin, FIA’s study is uncharacteristically blunt in its findings of red flags within the community.
According to the FIA latest annual report released on Thursday, the study was carried out in the 2023-24 financial year and “was triggered by an observed trend of large cash deposits into bank accounts held by companies owned by people of Asian origin”.
As the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government takes charge, it must act decisively to equip the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) with the tools, laws, and resources needed to combat graft. The time for half-measures is over. DCEC Director-General, Botlhale Makgekgenene’s, recent address to the Public Accounts Committee paints a stark picture. Over five years, leadership instability, chronic underfunding and weak...