03 Dec 2018

The prosecuting authority, Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has withdrawn charges against Botho Leburu and added more names to the National Petroleum Fund (NPF) case.

The prosecution also amended the charge sheet and preferred new charges that were read to the accused, with plea being reserved until the appropriate time. Initially Leburu was charged alongside Kenneth Kerekang, Bakang Seretse and Khulaco company for money laundering.

Meanwhile the new Regional Magistrate-South, who has just assume office, Mr Masilo Mathaka relaxed the bail condition of the trio by ordering that they handed over their passports and report once a month at any police station convenient to them. 

They have been reporting fortnightly at Gaborone West Police Station.

The additional accused are Basis Points Capital, represented by Bakang Seretse as its director, M&B Properties, also represented by Bakang Seretse as its director. 

The other accused are Sadique Kebonang, MP for Lobatse and his twin brother Zein Kebonang who is a judge at Gaborone High Court. 

Also in the list are Mogomotsi Seretse, Leomog company represented by Mogomotsi as director and Kago Stimela and his company STM Holdings as the 12^th accused.

In the meantime, the prosecution is yet to serve the seventh accused, Raging Bull company with court papers. 

The charge sheet indicates that the company belongs to Sadique but he has since denied having any association with.

The new charge sheet indicates that the accused are facing 65 different counts, which include abuse of office, giving false information to a person employed in the public service, uttering a false document, theft and money laundering, which forms the bulk of the charges.

In one of the charges against Kerekang, it is alleged that on December 24, 2015 being employed in the public service as a director of the Department of Energy in the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources, abused the authority of his office and entered into an unauthorised contract with Kgori Capital.

The prosecution further indicate that on or about August 8, 2018 Kerekang gave false information to Isaac Kgosi, then DIS director, to the effect that a company called Khulaco had been contracted by government to manage the NPF, which information he knew to be false in all material respects, intending thereby to cause the said Kgosi to deal with Khulaco in the disbursement of certain funds to DIS supplies.

The case will come before the court again on February 18, 2019 and the prosecution has acceded to the defence’s  request that they will serve them with the remaining particulars seven days before the date of mention. ENDS