{"id":7628,"date":"2019-01-18T13:40:36","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T13:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amabhungane.org\/amabhungane\/?post_type=stories&p=7628"},"modified":"2024-09-21T10:24:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T10:24:09","slug":"update-arrested-ex-spy-boss-threatens-to-topple-botswana-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/further.co.za\/amabwp\/update-arrested-ex-spy-boss-threatens-to-topple-botswana-government\/","title":{"rendered":"Update: Arrested ex-spy boss threatens to topple Botswana government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The arrest sent shock waves through Botswana, amid fears that it could worsen tensions between President Mogweetsi Masisi and his predecessor, Ian Khama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kgosi is Khama\u2019s close ally. One of Masisi\u2019s first acts as president was to fire him as intelligence boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his arrest on Tuesday this week, he loudly threatened to topple the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though not yet charged, it is understood that Kgosi is being investigated in connection with alleged tax evasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DIS, the Botswana Police and the Botswana Revenue Services spent the better part of Wednesday searching his house in the affluent Gaborone suburb of Phakalane Estates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The once feared former spy chief was greeted with an arrest warrant and handcuffs on his return from a trip to Asia and the Middle East, accompanied by his wife and children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arrest and raid on his house were coordinated by his successor, DIS director general Peter Magosi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tempers flared at the airport as Kgosi demanded to know why he was being arrested in such a public way. As he was being handcuffed in the open lobby of the airport, he protested that the whole exercise was intended to embarrass him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He started hurling insults at his captors, declaring that he had always worked hard for Botswana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou guys are driving me to do things I never thought I will do. I am going to topple the government, I\u2019m telling you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His lawyer, Unoda Mack, dismissed the statement as \u201ca flight of hyperbole\u201d, saying that had been caught off guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said his client was calmer on Wednesday and cooperating with the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to the media, Magosi said Kgosi would remain in custody while investigations continue. He said it was still too early to tell if he would finish up in court, as the investigation was in its infancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll we can say now is that there was a joint operation between us, the Botswana police and [the revenue service]. Our investigations required us to search his home,\u201d Magosi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is understood that Kgosi\u2019s other properties, including another house in Gaborone and farms, will also be searched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kgosi\u2019s attorneys confirmed that he spent the night in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the document that we have seen, they are looking for documents or storage devices that could assist in an investigation regarding tax issues. That\u2019s all the document discloses,\u201d Mack said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political analyst Leonard Sesa said that the manner of Kgosi\u2019s arrest would only deepen the rift between Khama and Masisi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have long said that the war between the president and his predecessor is no ordinary conflict,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it is not nipped in the bud, this thing is going to end up in civil war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe way Kgosi was arrested raised eyebrows,\u201d Sesa said. \u201cBut the way he threatened the state was very disappointing. It was a threat to national security and can\u2019t be left hanging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analyst Lesole Machacha countered this by saying that attempts to link the arrest to the rift between Khama and Masisi are far-fetched<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe revenue service had suspicions that there might be irregularities regarding tax and they have the right to investigate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile it was very foolish for Kgosi to talk about toppling the government, I think it was only out of frustration because he is used to having so much power. He was trying to intimidate the arresting officers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DISS was established amid controversy shortly after Khama assumed office in 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Money from the government\u2019s Disaster Fund were diverted to help establish the organisation, amid strong resistance from opposition MPs and some backbenchers from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kgosi, at the time Khama\u2019s private secretary, was appointed to head the new body. With presidential support he quickly turned it into the most powerful security organ in the country. Well-funded and largely unaccountable, the DIS was shielded by Khama \u2013 despite allegations of corruption against Kgosi and human rights abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n