” I HAD WANTED TO CHARGE HUBONA WITH PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT”- MATHAMBO
The former Director General(DG) of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) Brigadier Joseph Mathambo has broken the silence on the P100 billion Bank of Botswana (BoB) money-laundering saga.
The Voice can exclusively reveal that Mathambo had wanted to charge the disgraced DCEC lead investigator in the case, Jako Hubona with professional misconduct but was instructed not to do it.
Speaking on the sidelines of an announcement by the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) that government has decided to drop both the financing terrorism and money laundering charges against Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) spy, Wilhelmina Maswabi(codenamed Butterfly) this week, Mathambo said, “There was time I wanted to charge Hubona for misconduct. In fact I had already written to him to show cause why he couldn’t be charged. He said he was acting on instruction and I felt at the time that his answer was not good enough.”
Lead Prosecutor in the Maswabi case, Priscilla Israel this week told the Gaborone Regional Magistrate court that the state would reinstate the charges at a later stage if they find evidence against her.
Spilling more beans on the matter, the former DG who was redeployed back to the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) where he cam from at the height of the Butterfly case said he was prevented from charging Hubona by the powers that be.
“Those people who share a surname presurries me not to charge Hubona. Beginning of this year I had actually assembled a team of experts from different ministries to preside over disciplinary hearing but I had to oblige those who share a surname because apart from their instruction, Maswabi’s case was before the courts and I did not want to be seen to be complicating matters,” Mathambo further stated.
According to Mathambo, Hubona drafted the charges against Maswabi without permission from the DCEC.
“He did not have my authority, as the DCEC we don’t have the mandate to investigate matters of terrorism. We simply don’t have that mandate and I had continuously advised on that, but people chose to undermine my advice,” the former DCEC boss further revealed.
Hubona, is currently facing over P100 million defamation suits in his personal capacity for allegedly submitting fabricated evidence in an affidavit filed in court implicating former President, Ian Khama, Former spy chief, Isaac Kgosi, South African Businessperson, Bridgette Motsepe and Maswabi in siphoning P100 Billion from BoB to fund terrorism.
He has since sought legal advice and representation from private attorney, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae.
