The trial of Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) officer, Mbatisi Ntshiiwa, accused of soliciting a bribe from a Transport Inspectorate officer, has faced yet another setback following the unexpected death of the key witness, Badibedi Abidile.
Ntshiiwa, 42, is charged with a single count of corruption for allegedly receiving a P2 000 bribe from Abidile back in August 2018.
The trial, postponed last year, was scheduled to continue on May 20th with Abidile set to complete his testimony.
Tragically, on the morning he was supposed to appear in court, Abidile collapsed at Maun Magistrates’ Court and was rushed to the hospital, where he was given a three-day sick leave.
State prosecutor’s request to postpone the trial until Thursday was granted, hoping Abidile would recover.
However, hopes of resuming the trial were dashed when Abidile passed away on Friday afternoon.
Last year, Abidile, 41, testified that he met Ntshiiwa near IEC offices, where the DCEC officer warned him that he was under investigation.
Ntshiiwa allegedly promised to make the evidence disappear in exchange for P10 000.
Abidile claimed that DCEC officials subsequently arrested and detained him, during which he disclosed his encounters with Ntshiiwa.
A sting operation was then set up, with Abidile and P2 000 as bait.
On August 24th, 2018, Abidile met Ntshiiwa at Sentlhaga Restaurant and handed over the money, after which Ntshiiwa was promptly arrested by his colleagues.
In court, Ntshiiwa denied the allegations, asserting that Abidile fabricated the story due to the trauma of his detention.
“Receiving money from him was purely out of the personal relationship we had with one another,” said Ntshiiwa, who remains on active duty but has since been transferred to Gaborone.
The trial is now set to continue on July 8th and 9th, with the state planning to call Ntshiiwa’s colleagues to testify.
