Africa-Press – Botswana. Former Director General of DCEC, Joseph Mathambo, has named former president Ian Khama – now Kgosikgolo of BaNgwato – among notables that he was allegedly instructed to pursue in politically-motivated investigations.
A former head of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC), has accused the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government of using him to carry out politically-motivated investigations that included former president Ian Khama.
The former president is now Kgosi Khama of BaNgwato.
Targets and Shields Revealed
Speaking at a special forum for the BDP to tender an apology to Kgosi Khama and his people in Serowe over the weekend, Joseph Mathambo – who was Director General of DCEC from 2019 to 2020 said he was instructed to target certain people and protect others.
“I did wrong things because I was being used,” he said. “I was told who to investigate and who not to. Even former president Ian Khama; I investigated him.
Presidential Power Left Little Room for Refusal
“The President possesses so much power and it was difficult to decline some of the instructions he issued,” he said. “If you declined, you were fired or demoted, as it happened to me. When I declined I was initially demoted and later fired.” he added.
Arrests Without Dockets, Job Lost
He claimed some individuals were arrested and detained without official dockets. Mathambo added that he was eventually fired for questioning some of the instructions that he was given.
His marching orders came in August 2020 following a fallout with the head of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Service (DISS), Brigadier Peter Magosi, over the controversial “Butterfly” case in which former president Ian Khama and ex-DISS director Isaac Kgosi were implicated in alleged theft of P100 billion from the Bank of Botswana.
Legal Battle Continues
After his removal, Mathambo sued the government for unfair dismissal and sought compensation for the remainder of his contract, which was due to run until 2024. He deemed a proposed out-of-court settlement inadequate and rejected it.
Opposition Voices Skepticism
Opposition parties in Botswana have long expressed concerns about the independence of the DCEC, especially that it falls directly under the purview of the Office of the President.
Mathambo himself voiced concerns about the agency’s budgetary resources to a parliamentary committee in July 2020.
BDP Declines Comment
Upon being reached, the Secretary General of the BDP, Kentse Rammidi, declined to comment. “I do not want to be drawn into discussing issues that are administrative,” he said. “Our concerns were only political ones.”
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