Former President Ian Khama who is fingered in a case of financing terrorism on Monday told reporters that he never received money from any unlawful channel or created a local or offshore account for that purpose.
Khama said in an effort to clear his name, commissioned British Barrister Cherie Blair CBE, QC and her law firm Omnia Strategy to undertake an independent and thorough inquiry into the allegations naming him in money laundering and terrorism financing.
He added: “When the same government, in the same manner, displays the highest degree of irresponsibility and callousness by implicating a national icon in the form of the Bank of Botswana, recognized among the best of its kind in the world, with years and years of service to this nation, with a team of professional and dedicated staff who are said to have connived in whistling away billions of Pula into individual offshore accounts to fund terrorism and greed, thus damaging this nation’s good name and the good name of every citizen in order to fix some of us, then this regime has lost the legitimacy to govern.”
Papers filed with the High Court allege that Khama instructed the central bank to shift over $10-billion (100 billion Pula) to secret accounts and later moved the funds to several offshore companies and banks.
The allegations are contained in an affidavit filed by the state in the prosecution of intelligence operative, Welheminah Maswabi, who is facing charges of terrorism, money-laundering and altering her identity in connection with the alleged transfer.
Also implicated in the same case is former intelligence boss Isaac Kgosi.
KO/as/APA