03 Nov 2019

Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DISS) officer Welheminah Maswabi will appear for another mention on November 14 and will remain in custody after her remand warrant was extended on Friday.

Broadhurst magistrate Mr Gaseitsiwe Tonoki extended the remand warrant during Maswabi’s brief appearance on Friday following a plea by the prosecution that the state was yet to receive responses for the assistance it had sought from some countries which it deemed necessary for the conduct of its investigations.

Ms Keletso Mfosi of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had told the court that the prosecution had made several mutual legal assistance requests to some countries citing South Africa, Germany and Hong Kong, but that none had so far responded. Earlier, the prosecutor had requested that the hearing be held in camera as had been the case in the October 18 appearance but the magistrate had asked if the order that had been issued then had not been overtaken by events, a question to which Ms Mfosi had said the prosecution was amenable to whatever position the court took.

Magistrate Tonoki then ruled that the matter proceed in open court. Addressing the court, Ms Phatsimo Mphetolang, the attorney representing Maswabi, requested that the prosecution avail a complete list of the countries from which mutual legal assistance had been sought in order to give a picture of how long it would take for investigations to be completed.

In addition, Ms Mphetolang made a follow-up on the request for a typed record of the October 18 hearing which she said would help the defence decide how best to proceed with the case.

Maswabi, codenamed Butterfly, faces charges of possession of unexplained property, financing terrorism and false declaration for passport.

 In the first count, she is alleged to have, between December 1, 2018 and October 17 this year, been found in possession of sums of money disproportionate with her present or past known sources of income.

 In the offence of financing terrorism, the state alleges that, Maswabi also known as Lorato Hilton according to her other identity documents, in the period between December 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 transferred P32 402 015 (US$2 950 000)) to former DISS director general Isaac Kgosi.

The transfer of funds, it is alleged, was done with the intent to facilitate the commission of an act of terrorism by Kgosi, who the prosecution says had threatened to commit acts of terror against the Republic of Botswana.

 In the final count, the accused is alleged to have, in June 2013, uttered a false statement to an immigration officer by stating her names as Lorato Hilton when applying for a passport when she knew that to be false. ENDS