Israel’s fall from grace :: Mmegi Online

Like Queen Esther in the Bible, Priscilla Israel once stood in the epicentre of power, wielding influence that few State lawyers had ever commanded. She was a legal warrior, feared and revered before she was slapped with a redeployment letter this week. Writes Mmegi Staffer SHARON MATHALA

Israel’s journey began with a brief stint at the Botswana Police Service before she moved to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), where her skills in litigation set her apart. She was later appointed head of the human trafficking unit. Still at the DPP, she was tasked with leading the prosecution in one of Botswana’s most high-profile corruption cases including those of former Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi, the CMB matter, The David Modise murder trial, just to mention but a few.

It was her involvement in the infamous P100 billion money laundering matter dubbed the ‘Butterfly’ case that placed her on both national and international stages. The case gained traction because, according to the State, it implicated former president Ian Khama and ex-Director General of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) the late Isaac Kgosi, sending shockwaves across the political landscape.