Maun High court this week confirmed trial dates for a civil matter in which former Deputy North West District Commissioner, Boammaaruri Otlhogile is being sued by Sankuyo Tshwaragano Management Trust over an unpaid loan of P150 000.
The court on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) reaffirmed the trial dates as November 11 and 12th.
According to the Trust’s attorney, Clifford Foroma the Trust’s board met last week Thursday and decided that it will go that route since Otlhogile has failed to pay the loan which was meant to be a short-term debt.
The matter involves a P150 000 loan which Otlhogile was said to have illicitly obtained from the Trust through a verbal gentleman’s agreement between him and the then Trust’s board chairperson, Monthusi Sinvula, then Vice Chairperson Kempho Kedikilwe and the then manager, Galesenngwe Haku.
Otlhogile is said to have promised to repay the loan by end of October 2022 but later requested for an extension through a letter dated December, 23, 2022 in which he stated that he will only manage to pay by mid January 2023.
However a new board was elected before Otlhogile could pay and it exposed the maladministration and reported the matter to the District Commissioner’s office and the general membership of the Trust, which is Sankoyo community.
It was then escalated to a series of kgotla meetings in Sankoyo village with both the former chairperson and his vice suspended from the Trust as a result and the new board ordered to recover the loan from Otlhogile.
In their notice of demand before court, the Trust maintains that Otlhogile has since breached the verbal agreement because he has “failed, neglected and or refused to pay” the said amount.
Further the Trust would before court demand that over the total loan amount, Otlhogile has to pay a ten percent annual interest and also pay the legal cost of the case.
