Botswana’s former President Ian Khama and South African businesswoman, Bridgette Motsepe, say they will be suing the Botswana government for reputational damage over claims of an alleged plot to cause political unrest ahead of last year’s elections.
Speaking at the launch of a British law firm report which clears them of any wrongdoing – the two high profile figures say they want justice to prevail. The forensic report found that the contents of the affidavit which sparked the allegations were false.
Khama says he is pleased, “Personally I and the other victims of this farce will be instituting the necessary legal action against this regime and elements within it as may be appropriate based on defamation and perjury. Furthermore, it is a clear imperative that we investigate the political motivation of the affidavit.”
The pair were fingered in an alleged plan to finance political unrest leading up to the country’s elections in October 2019. Bridgette Motsepe and Khama were alleged to be part of a conspiracy to bring down President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
They have both consistently denied the allegations.
The report which is titled “Project Monarch: Flies & Lies”, found no evidence on financial flows out of Botswana. This matter was sparked by an affidavit written by an investigator that alleged more than 10-million US dollars left Botswana into South African or other international accounts.
It further claimed that Bridgette Motsepe was a signatory in some of those bank accounts. But the report has found no documented evidence of the illicit flow of money or anything that would link Khama and Bridgette Motsepe to the accounts in question.
The report also claims that the affidavit had glaring inconsistencies and fabrications.
Chief investigator, Cherie Blair says it’s puzzling that the prosecutor has run with these charges unless the case was based on fictitious evidence
