South African businesswoman and Ambassador, Bridgette Motsepe, had her way in court on Friday morning after being granted an order for an apology by Botswana Government for defamation of character.
Mmegi, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Sunday Times, and SABC are some of the news outlets that will feature the Bridgette Motsepe apology on their news bulletins. As part of the order, the Botswana Government has also been directed to publish an apology and retraction prominently on the home page of the Government of Botswana website (www.gov.bw) for at least seven consecutive days. On the other hand, government will advertise online and print, on the The Wall Street Journal (United States of America), the Financial Times (United Kingdom); the Sunday Times (South Africa) and Mmegi newspaper (Botswana) and as news bulletins broadcasts on CNN International and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) news channel. The parties consented to an apology that reads, “On 29 October 2019, Mr. Jako Hubona, an investigator employed by the Botswana Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime, deposed to an affidavit in proceedings before the High Court of Botswana, in which he alleged under oath that Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe was the co-signatory to bank accounts in which funds allegedly stolen from the Bank of Botswana were laundered and implicated her in financing terrorism. The allegations made by Mr Hubona against Ambassador Motsepe and supported by the government bodies he mentions are entirely false and were made recklessly.
The allegations also impugned others, including Wilhelmina Maswabi, former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama and the late Isaac Kgosi, as well as a number of financial institutions and the South African Reserve Bank, among others. The Government of Botswana, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services and Mr Hubona unconditionally retract their allegations and apologise to Ambassador Motsepe for making them. The new human rights-based Government of Botswana under the leadership of Advocate Duma Boko reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law and assures the public that fabrications of the nature as occurred in this matter will never reoccur.” Motsepe was suing the Botswana government for alleged involvement in the P100 billion money laundering case.
She was named as co-signatory to bank accounts in which funds allegedly stolen from the Bank of Botswana were laundered and implicated her in financing terrorism. However, she was never formally charged. Whilst Motsepe had initially sued for P20 million for defamation, she said she would not be claiming damages except for those she incurred in trying to clear her name.
Contributors; MPHO MOKWAPE, BOIKOBO MMOLAI and INNOCENT SELATLHWA
