28 Nov 2024

Four suspects in the 2023 Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) final question papers case have been granted conditional bail.

Tshepo Oakile of Francistown, Precious Phalantwa and Baroma Baroma, both from Maun and Bonnete Saxhoma of Gumare were not asked to plead.

Delivering a ruling on bail on November 28 when the four appeared for the registration of the case, Francistown chief magistrate, Ms Game Mooketsi ordered the accused to bind themselves with P2 000 each, provide two sureties, who would also bind themselves with P2 000 as well as to report to their nearest police station end of each month.

She also ordered them not to commit any offence similar to the one they were accused of until the finalisation of the case, amongst others.

Oakile stands accused for stealing examination papers being English papers 1 and 2, Science Double Award papers 1 to 4, Mathematics papers 1 and 2, Social Studies papers 1 and 2, and Geography papers 1 to 3.

The second and third accused persons, Phalantwa and Baroma, are charged with an offence of unlawfully receiving the aforesaid mentioned papers from the first accused, Oakile, knowingly that they were proceeds of stolen documents.

While the fourth accused, Saxhoma, is also charged with a single count of unlawfully receiving the aforesaid documents from the third accused, Baroma, also knowingly that they were stolen documents.

The prosecutor, Assistant Director of Public Prosecution in Francistown, Mr Moffat Dick did not oppose their bail an also pleaded with court to transfer the case to the regional magistrate court due to the crime's multi-location nature (Selebi Phikwe, Francistown, and Maun), to avoid witness travel burden and government costs, of which the Chief Magistrate adhered to.

The first and second accused informed the court that they would represent themselves whilst the third said he would seek the services of a lawyer.

The fourth accused, Saxhoma was not certain as to whether, or not, he will seek the services of a lawyer.

They will appear again for another mention on January 2025 at the Francistown Regional Magistrate Court. 

The Chief investigating officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Detective Sergeant Marapo said in an interview that the state was expected to call 32 witnesses, some as far as United Kingdom and locally. Ends