16 Feb 2014

Former Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) lawyer, Bose Senone escaped jail by a whisker after being convicted for corruptly receiving P200 from a former accused person.

While working for DPP as a prosecutor in March 2011, Senone reportedly accepted P200 from Mooketsi Pikinini as a reward for his promise to intercede and influence another lawyer, Mr Chimbisani Sechele not to re-register a criminal case involving Pikinini that had been dismissed for want of prosecution by the Francistown Magistrate Court.

Serowe Principal Magistrate Kgololesego Segabo sentenced the former DPP employee to two years jail term, wholly suspended for three years and instructed that the exhibited items including P200 be returned to the owners.

Senone’s lawyer, Oganeditse Marata of OGB Marata Attorneys had pleaded during mitigation that his 53-year-old client be given the lowest possible scale of punishment as he had already paid a harsh price of losing his job and becoming financially destitute.

 “Gone are the days when he addressed the court as my worship and if there is any case that deserves outmost mercy it is this one,” submitted Attorney Marata. Attorney Marata added that the court could not divorce itself from reality as the amount involved was not millions but a “mere P200.”

He also mitigated that the convict never had any brush with the law and had been living an exemplary life. Magistrate Segabo said during sentencing that he considered the accused’s mitigation plus the fact that the case had a serious toll with the convict and his family while adding however that the court should also take into account the interest of the public and the state.

“As a DPP employee you worked against the mandate of your employer. This country is well known for respect of its law especially public service, especially DPP,” he said. He stated that public prosecution conduct must be beyond reproach and the public should have confidence on the institution.

“I have listened carefully to the mitigation presented by defence counsel and I thought so hard, sentence of a fine, custodial or non-custodial sentence. I must say you have committed a serious offence. You let down your colleagues, department and country,” said the magistrate. Ends