P3 000 BRIBERY LANDS POLICE OFFICER IN PRISON
Receiving a P3000 bribery to botch a case of dagga possession has landed a corrupt investigating police officer in jail.
Sergeant Johannes Rapula Molefe, 50, was last week convicted of corruption by a public officer and sent to prison for three years.
The Court heard that the sergeant on or about May 2013 in Gaborone whilst employed as a police officer by the Botswana police service hence a public officer, “corruptly offered to accept for himself a bribe of P3000 from Bafenyi Gaorengwe in order for him not to take her finger prints and submit them to Criminal Records Bureau.”
The bribery was also meant to prevent Molefe from writing a letter to Gaorengwe’s work place informing them of her charges.
Gaorengwe who was employed as a teacher at Gaborone West Junior School by then was accussed of unlawful possession of dagga.
Molefe who was in charge of investigations took the money to make Gaorengwe’s docket disappear so that her case could not be registered.
Gaorengwe deposited the money into the investigating officer’s bank account and kept the deposit slip safely.
Weeks later, Gaorengwe was surprised to receive a call informing her that her case was about to be registered before court.
She responded to the news by reporting to the police that she had paid the investigating officer to drop the charges and provided proof of transaction.
Sergeant Molefe was demoted to Constable rank awaiting trial while Gaorengwe was quickly tried and convicted of unlawful possession of dagga and fired from teaching.
Lobatse Principal Magistrate, Gofaone Morweng advised the Crime Intelligence Branch (CRIB) police officer of his right to appeal to the High Court within 14 days before he sent him to first offenders’ prison to ponder on his behavior for three years.
