This is coupled with the high costs of maintaining properties under receivership due to prolonged legal battles that delay their disposal. The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Nelson Ramaotwana, acknowledged the difficulties, stating that efforts are underway to secure long-term storage facilities. He was presenting 2025/2026 recurrent and development budget proposals before Parliament this week. “The prolonged litigation process hampers the timely disposal of seized assets, leading to increased maintenance costs and storage constraints. However, we are working on solutions to ensure efficiency in managing these properties.
The office of the Receiver is responsible for managing and preserving assets confiscated from criminal activities until their final disposal as per court rulings,” Ramaotwana said. While the government seeks long-term solutions, there are concerns over the financial burden associated with maintaining such properties. Ramaotwana said the delay in resolving legal matters has led to a growing backlog of properties under receivership, further straining available resources. He further stated that in the interim, the office is in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies for purposes of storage of properties and has also recently embarked on using proceeds from operation of some properties like rentals that are income generating for their maintenance and upkeep. “The active role of the office of the Receiver in managing the confiscated assets trust fund is apparent in the substantial increase in total funds, now standing at P8.6 million from P6.4 million the previous year. The increase of 33.9% is attributed to successful auctions subsequent to final forfeitures and continued administrative deposits from law enforcement agencies like the Botswana Police Service (BPS), the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC),” he said.
