BPS P115 million luxury jet raises eyebrows

Allegations of company having links at Police and Ministry Headquarters Key project stagnant due to lack of money but luxury jet priority Absolute denies being favoured Further information is confidential and cannot comment- Absolute Aviation MD Clark

The Botswana Police Service ( BPS) has gone all out to purchase the luxury private jet through direct appointment from a lesser- known company called Absolute Aviation Holdings.

The aircraft is a Beechcraft King Air 360ER Fixed Wing Aircraft. The direct appointment has raised eyebrows as to why specifically Absolute Avionics was cherry- picked out of all other aviation companies globally. The direct appointment has raised doubts of favouritism and possibly corruption. The luxury aircraft will cost the taxpayer P115 million, excluding operations, maintenance, service and repair costs. Considering the associated costs the amount may reach P200 million. Absolute Aviation denies being unfairly favoured by being given a direct appointment by the Botswana Police Services during their procurement process of a Beechcraft King Air 360ER Aircraft, Absolute Aviation Aircraft Sales and Flight Services, Managing Director Mike Clark said. “Further information is regarded as confidential, and no further comment shall be provided. Absolute Aviation is proud of our heritage and our long- standing support and representation of Textron Aviation products as the Exclusive Authorised Sales Representative in Southern Africa including Botswana,” Clark said in response to Botswana Guardian questionnaire. He stated that as a Cessna Authorised Service Facility since 1964, they are the oldest facility of its kind outside the USA and since 2017 for the Beechcraft product range as well. According to Clark they are the only Aircraft Maintenance Organisation ( AMO) in South Africa that holds the Cessna and Beechcraft Authorisation from the Original Equipment Manufacturer ( OEM), namely Textron Aviation. Meanwhile a reliable source within the Botswana Police disclosed that there have been rumours that Absolute Avionics may have links with senior officers at the Police Headquarters and Ministry Headquarters. “This company, Absolute Avionics, hasn’t done any significant business with BPS but was chosen out of nowhere for supplying this luxury jet without an open tender”. The source added that “the right approach would have been to float an open tender but once it was evident that Absolute Avionics offering and capabilities are inferior to other international companies, the senior officers insisted on going through with the direct appointment route”.

This is said to have raised suspicions of favouritism even further. Gaborone and surrounding areas have been experiencing high crime related to ATM bombing and cash- in- transit vehicle heists in the last year. The recent shooting incident in Phase 2 led to the killing of 12 suspects. Most countries including neighbouring South Africa are using helicopters for surveillance and pursuing criminal vehicles during a chase. It remains inexplicable as to why given the current situation in Botswana, Police would not rather invest in procuring many helicopters instead of buying just one luxury jet which will have no application in fighting crime. When queried on the priority of the luxury jet, the source said that “there is absolutely no need for this luxury jet and it’s a shameless waste of money given the current state of affairs.

“Our stations are in very poor conditions, we don’t have proper housing for staff officers, technologically we are behind but we would rather spend hundreds of millions on a luxury jet to be used by executives”. The President’s RESET agenda priorities of Value Chain Development and Digitalisation seek to bring aspects of economic viability and transformation with transparency in procurement. By awarding a contract in hundreds of millions to a company from aboard without any competition through direct appointment, Botswana Police has gone against the RESET Agenda of Value Chain Development and Digitalisation. The publication has further learned that numerous projects were shelved to ensure funding for the purchase of the luxury jet. The source further revealed that “many of the projects within our police force are stagnant because there is no money. “CCRS is always down because there is no money for its upgrade. The Chinese contractors at the Forensics building in Village left sometime back because they were not paid but have returned to site now. “Central Police Station has been in a dilapidated state for years, our officers don’t have proper houses. We could be spending money on developing the organisation not on luxury,” the source said. This is not the first time direct appointments at Botswana Police come under scrutiny. Last year Botswana Guardian revealed how Chinese contractor Huawei was given a direct appointment of P350- million contract for expansion of safer city in Gaborone. Botswana Police did not respond to the questionnaire sent to them last week.