We have been vindicated - UDC
Party says high court judgement proves lack of independence in critical institutions
Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) says it has been vindicated by the judgment of Gaborone High Court Judge Dr. Zein Kebonang that some of the arrests and prosecutions have ulterior motives.
The UDC argues that right from the beginning it indicated that all those ‘ Hollywood style’ arrests were made in a calculated move to hoodwink a naive section of the society into believing that the government was in a crusade against corruption.
“These were purely political arrests. We came under heavy attack for saying so. Today we stand vindicated by the judgment.
“Our experience as a political formation with extensive experience enabled us to read beyond the stunts. The way the arrests were carried and the attendant drama was a clear political campaign to earn votes for the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP).
“The irony of it all is that the current regime is overseeing corruption which is at an unparalleled and unprecedented level,” UDC Head of Communications Moeti Mohwasa said this week in an interview with Botswana Guardian.
When acquitting and discharging Directorate of Intelligence and Security ( DIS) officer Welheminah Maswabi from all the charges on Monday this week, Justice Dr. Zein Kebonang said her prosecution was clearly for an “ulterior and dishonourable purpose”.
He pointed out that the Head of the Directorate of Public Prosecution ( DPP) knew at the time he decided to charge Maswabi that there was no evidence against her.
Dr. Kebonang stated that the DPP director chose, in breach of his constitutional obligations to deliberately cause harm to Maswabi by “falsifying and fabricating evidence” against her.
Mohwasa told this publication that the government is a highly pretentious, insincere, and delusionary regime. He said it is common knowledge that arrests, charges, and serious allegations were made against some to suit the narrative of the country’s political masters.
He blamed President Mokgweetsi Masisi and DIS boss Peter Magosi for all the mess that other agencies and officers find themselves in. According to Mohwasa this is wrong and should be condemned as it has reduced the country into a Banana Republic.
“It is time all those who love this country put a stop to their shenanigans. We as a nation have to ensure that we stand up and defend what is left of our country.
“As long as we have very weak laws and institutions nothing will change. We cannot have a very strong Masisi and Magosi operating in an environment where we have weak institutions,” Mohwasa said.