Botswana Claim Tying Former President to $10 Billion Theft Rejected
Botswana Claim Tying Former President to $10 Billion Theft Rejected
Evidence presented in a Botswana court case implicating former President Ian Khama in the alleged theft of $10.1 billion from the nation’s central bank was described as fabricated in the findings of a private investigation.
The state’s case against a spy named Butterfly alleges that the money was transferred to seven South African banks, including Absa Group Ltd. and Nedbank Group Ltd., into accounts named Firefly as well as a number of international banks including HSBC Holdings Plc.
Many of those bank accounts don’t exist, according to the investigation, which was commissioned by Bridgette Radebe, the wife of a former South African cabinet minister, whose name they were alleged to be in. Some of the money was used to foment instability ahead of elections in October, the state has said.
Butterfly appeared in court on Monday and state prosecutors said they needed four more months to wrap up their investigations of her. Khama hasn’t been formally charged. Botswana’s Director of Public Prosecutions has said South Africa wouldn’t cooperate with the investigations.
The private probe was carried out by Cherie Blair’s Omnia Strategy LLP and Alaco Ltd. and is being used by those implicated to demand the state case be dropped, and as the basis for possible legal action against the government. Khama left the ruling party before elections a year ago is now an opposition party leader.
‘Unpleasantness, tension’
“There is unpleasantness, tension between the two of us,” Khama said in an interview in reference to President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who once served as Khama’s deputy. He said fresh elections should be called because of a “lack of legitimacy” of the government given its conduct in the case.
Masisi’s Botswana Democratic Party won a landslide victory in last year’s vote.
The probe should be channeled through the court, government spokesman Andrew Sesinyi said in an emailed response to questions.
“The report you refer to is unknown in the processes that we are aware of,” he said. “We have no further comment on such matters as they ought to be dealt with accordingly by the due process of the law.”
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