The search was a fishing expedition - Kgosi
Magosi was aware of the items they seized State really wants to nail me
Former top spy chief, Isaac Kgosi, has accused the State of going on a fishing expedition to find something to use against him as it is out to nail him. Kgosi, who is accused of undermining the national security of the country and now faces six counts of charges, says the state has always wanted to find something to use against him and that the matter has nothing to do with national security as the state claims.
“I want to make it crystal clear that these series of arrests and searches have nothing to do with national security but pure harassment. On realising that the earlier charges they laid against me were slipping away, the latest search and seizure was a fishing expedition with hope that they would find something to use against me. This is the reason for the charges.
The courts are being used to merely abuse and harass me. The director-general would apply for a warrant to search for guns which are already in his possession,” he said.
Kgosi, in his answering affidavit to the State, explained that most of the items that were seized during the recent search, the police and DIS director-general Peter Magosi were already aware of them and that he had them legally.
According to Kgosi, since it is common cause that prior to his appointment as director-general of the DIS, he was with the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and some of the items are for the BDF and that he has them legally while some that belonged to the DIS he has long called for their handover.
Kgosi accused Magosi of refusing to collect some of the DIS items despite calling him on several occasions saying he never had the opportunity to hand over the items since he was abruptly yanked out of the office and told to take everything.
“As one would have expected, I never had an opportunity to properly hand over to my successor, Magosi. On several occasions, I spoke to him to alert him of the need to properly brief him on what I had been working on,
and to hand over whatever property of the government had been in my possession at the time. I believe that this was a proper thing to do administratively,” he said.
Kgosi further explained that although Magosi promised to arrange for the hand over, he never followed through and that at one point he had to ask the then Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi for help to talk to him about the issue of which he was assured that the issue would be attended to.
However, he said he was then in 2019 arrested before the handover and a search conducted at his place and that most of the items seized recently were there, while most of the guns were seized on a later search.
On the counts he is facing, Kgosi has denied the charges on record that most charges had nothing to do with national security and that most of the items seized which are a subject of the charges, are just normal items he has legally and that the State was aware of their existence at his place.
On count one which he is accused of being in possession of armoured vests, he denied that but explained that they are anti stab vests which came in his possession as the director-general of DIS and in the cause of his employment which were specimen for procurement for provision of those items to the spy unit and that were to have been collected by the current director-general.
While on count two of possession of a uniform
resembling that of BDF, Kgosi pointed out that as a former army officer, one is allowed to take their entire uniform including the full service dress. “The only items you have to return are the service rifle and pistol. I am not the only one who has these items. All retired army officers have the same uniform as I do, including Magosi. It is absurd therefore, that I should be charged for being in possession of the said items,” Kgosi said.
Kgosi went further to explain that all the equipment that has been seized were always in his house and that the search team collected whatever they desired and needed, noting that they even left weapons during the first search and only seized them on the fourth search, which shows that they seized equipment they considered important. He noted that on count six where he is accused of being in possession of ammunitions, says most of the firearms and ammunitions were seized in 2019 and that the one seized recently has always been in the house at the time of search in 2019. “It is true they seized the firearms and ammunition and the licenses which are still in possession of the police. I insist that these ammunition were in the house at the time of the search in 2019 therefore the State has failed to place evidence before court to justify my remand in custody,” he said. Kgosi is represented by attorneys, Unoda Mack and Thabiso Tafila while the State is represented by Sifelani Thapelo and Tshiamo Rantao.