Air Botswana Mismanagement Probe Sparks Intelligence Officer Lawsuit
The Botswana High Court has ruled in favor of two senior officers from the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) who alleged they were unlawfully arrested, detained, and subjected to privacy violations while investigating procurement irregularities and operational mismanagement at Air Botswana. The judgment, delivered on November 3, granted default relief to Pulane Pretty Kgoadi and Paul Desmond Setlhabi after the Attorney General, the DIS, and the Botswana Police Service failed to appear or file arguments.
According to reporting from the Botswana Gazette and News&All, the court found their arrests, detentions, property searches, and denial of access to legal representation and family to be “wrongful and unlawful.” The officers are seeking BWP 4.45 million (USD 320,000) in damages, claiming they were targeted to suppress findings from covert investigations ordered by former President Mokgweetsi Masisi into Air Botswana and DIS director-general Peter Fana Magosi. The matter now proceeds to the High Court registrar to determine compensation.
In a leaked October 28 letter to the president’s permanent secretary, Emma Peloetletse, Kgoadi’s lawyers alleged that Air Botswana’s fleet modernization program “was a simulated transaction for unlawful purposes.” They claimed that aircraft procurement lacked proper regulatory oversight, due diligence, and CAAB compliance—asserting that some aircraft “would not be able to fly upon arrival in Botswana.” The letter further alleged that senior Air Botswana executives held key positions without the required qualifications.
Kgoadi was reportedly removed from the investigation, suspended, and later arrested following a complaint filed by then-CEO Lulu Rasebotsa. She declined to comment when contacted, while Air Botswana was not immediately available. Concerns over procurement practices at the national carrier first surfaced in September 2024.
Rasebotsa’s own tenure came to an abrupt end on October 21, when her contract was terminated despite disciplinary charges against her being withdrawn less than a week earlier. She had sought an urgent interdict to declare 21 maladministration counts and related board recommendations unlawful, following her suspension on June 30 after a new board was appointed.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com