12 Nov 2019

The case involving suspended Permanent Secretary to the President Carter Morupisi and wife Pinny who are facing charges of abuse of office, receiving a bribe and money laundering has been postponed to February 17 to allow the prosecution to conclude investigations.

Regional South Magistrate, Masilo Mathaka on November 12 agreed to the prosecution’s plea or the state to be given more time to conclude their investigations in order to commit the case to a full trial.

Kentse Molome of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)  said the state had to be given more time to conclude their investigations in order to commit the case to  full trial.

She said the prosecution needed at least until the end of January 2020 to wrap up some ongoing investigations after which they would request that the case be committed to the high court.

Defence counsel, Busang Manewe had vehemently opposed the application for a postponement saying the case should be struck off the roll and charges against the accused persons dropped, until such a time that the state was ready to lodge a case.

Manewe said there had been a growing trend in the country for the prosecuting authority to institute incomplete charges against accused persons only to delay proceedings by claiming to need more time  for  investigations.

That, he said, presented prejudicial conduct against the accused who had to pay for legal representation and incur injury to their good reputation while the case dragged on.

Manewe said it would be better for charges to be dropped until such a time when a coherent case could be registered.

He said when the accused first appeared for mention on September 3, the state had indicated they had a list of witnesses which the defense had asked for.

Manewe said they were given conflicting lists; the first one having 13 persons provided by DPP and a second with 15 people from the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC). 

In addition, the prosecution had not provided the defence with  statements made by five witnesses, including Ms Boitumelo Molefe, Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund (BPOPF) chief executive officer.

Once the case was registered, Molome reasoned, the state stood a better chance of proceeding with investigations unhindered as Morupisi was subsequently ordered by the court not to interfere with the work of the prosecution.

She also said there was no law in Botswana which prevented the registration of a case while investigations were ongoing.

Magistrate Mathaka ruled in favour of the prosecution on the grounds that the state had clarified that they had registered the case to avoid interference with investigations; Morupisi had subsequently been suspended, so he could no longer use his position to impede investigations; the state promises to wind up investigations by late January 2020; and the accused persons had only appeared twice, which was not a long enough to be prejudicial to the accused.

The particulars of offence are that Morupisi on 11 November 2014, as BPOPF board chair, acting without the board’s authority, signed a contract authorising Capital Management Botswana (CMB) to administer BPOPF funds.

Morupisi is also alleged to have signed a contract with CMB on behalf of BPOFP on May 11, 2017 and acting together with his wife, received on behalf of her company R7 Group a Toyota Land Cruiser pickup van.

The two accused are also alleged to have laundered proceeds of crime to the amount of R630 988 (P462 260). Ends