24 Jul 2013

The Parliamentary Select Committee on the collapse of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) was forced to adjourn for an hour to allow the former BMC financial adviser, Mr Silva Prasad to go and fetch proof of documentation at his house at the Gaborone’s Village suburb.

The committee chairperson, Mr Mephato Reatile issued the order for Mr Prasad to be escorted by the police to go and collect the documents that he kept on referring to when giving evidence.

The documents included a letter by the then BMC chief executive officer, which appointed his consultancy company to do the financial work for BMC and letters he wrote to the board, Minister of Agriculture and the President in which he claimed that he was clearing his name regarding negative media reports that were on-going after his contract was terminated. 

Earlier on, Mr Prasad had wanted his evidence to be held in camera but the committee refused on the ground that he could have applied for that earlier and that he would be protected from whatever he would have said. But, when the committee started questioning him, he started to beat around the bush and did not give straight answers.

 This did not go well with members of the committee who asked the chairperson to use his powers by either declaring as hostile or be put in a police cell for one night. “You are being impossible,” said Mr Reatile to Mr Prasad. He explained that initially, he was appointed as financial advisor to the CEO and this happened when he was outside the country.

However, Mr Prasad said the board later appointed his company and that all along; he was doing the job on behalf of his company. To seal the deal, he explained that the board even wrote him a letter appointing his company to that effect adding that he never received any payment from BMC before his company was appointed.  

Financial records produced by previous witnesses  indicated that Prasad was being paid P8.50 per kilometre as mileage from Gaborone to Lobatse from Monday to Friday and he was also paid P1 500 per hour each day of the week for the four months that he was a financial advisor to the CEO. ENDS