The so-called “Butterfly” spy case took another turn with the release of a new independent report, in London, pouring cold water on allegations of money laundering to fund terrorism in Botswana. In supporting the report, former Botswana president Ian Khama castigated the people running his country and calling the allegation the “height of stupidity and irresponsibility.”



The “Butterfly” case took its name from the code name of the intelligence officer at the centre of the story that has been the talk of southern Africa for months. It surrounds allegations that 46-year-old Botswana intelligence officer Welheminah Maswabi took part in money laundering of $10 Billion through the Bank of Botswana and string of commercial banks around the world.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="427" height="640" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-379463" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1.jpeg 427w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Portrait-2020-July-B-Motsepe0498-1-200x300.jpeg 200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px" /></figure>



The State alleges that the money was to fund unrest and political opposition in Botswana against President Mokgweetsi Masisi– also linking it to South African businesswoman Bridgette Radebe and former President Khama.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="960" height="540" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-353966" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs.jpg 960w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-820x461.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-696x392.jpg 696w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1571595826001_6125252469001_6125248508001-vs-747x420.jpg 747w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><figcaption>World Economic Forum: Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi on why the youth</figcaption></figure>



“It is unfortunately a day of shame and a sad day for our country. It has damaged our reputation as a clean democracy,” says Khama.



“The regime here has engaged in perjury&#8230;Their clear criminal intent has now been exposed our reputation for clean government has been tarnished…This is the height of stupidity and irresponsibility by falsely accusing people… I fully expect them (the Botswana government) to rubbish it (the report), they have been doing so as this press conference was coming and that shows the mentality of the regime.”



CNBC Africa made numerous attempts to contact the president’s office in Gaborone, to no avail.



The State &nbsp;is building a case against Maswabi around charges of money laundering to finance terrorism in Botswana – a country famed in Africa for its peaceful stability. Her lawyer Uyapo Ndadi told CNBC Africa that the case against Maswabi was based on trumped up charges and she was due back in court in November. &nbsp;



The case is being built around an affidavit from Jako Hubona, an investigator with Botswana’s Directorate of Economic Crime and Corruption Unit. He claimed that Khama and Motsepe took part in money laundering through a flow of illicit funds out of government accounts at the Bank of Botswana , via a number international financial institutions, to a variety of South African and offshore accounts.



The new independent investigation released in London, commissioned by Motsepe and conducted by lawyer Cherie Blair, refutes these allegations.&nbsp; It says that the affidavit does not have a shred of evidence and claims it is based on fabrication. Blair, the wife of former British premier Tony Blair, said the allegations against Motsepe – the sister of billionaire Patrice Motsepe- and Khama &nbsp;were baseless.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="360" src="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-379434" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74.jpg 480w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/hqdefault-74-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px" /><figcaption>Report vindicates Bridgette Motsepe and Ian Khama of money laundering allegations</figcaption></figure>



“For a start 10 billion dollars is about half of Botswana’s GDP and we found no evidence that such money had been transferred at all from the Bank of Botswana at all,” Blair told CNBC Africa. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

ian khama

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

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Thousands of people queued up to vote in Botswana today for the hotly-contested elections that could challenge the ruling party’s hold onto power. The former president of the ruling party, Ian Khama broke away from the Botswana Democratic Party and joined the opposition party due to internal disagreements. Joining CNBC Africa to discuss the outcome is Journalist, Kealeboga Dihutso.

Key issues to watch as Botswana heads to the polls

GABORONE, Oct 22 (Reuters) &#8211; Botswana polls opened on Wednesday for a general election that is expected to provide the first genuine challenge to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in its five decades of dominance over southern Africa&#8217;s wealthiest and most stable nation.



Whichever party wins will have to move swiftly to transform the economy, which since independence from Britain in 1966 has grown at 8% a year to become one of Africa&#8217;s most successful, but now risks coming unstuck because of over-reliance on a single commodity &#8211; diamonds.



Campaigning on promises to drive that economic transformation, Duma Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change, is hoping to unseat the BDP of President Mokgweetsi Masisi. He is backed by former president Ian Khama, who handed over to Masisi last year but has since fallen into a bitter power struggle with him.



&#8220;We remain resolute and confident that we are going to win this election,&#8221; Boko told a news conference on Monday night before warning of possible fraud.



&#8220;I can only accept the result if the election is free and credible,&#8221; he added, raising the spectre that Botswana, which has only known one-sided elections, could witness its first rancorous dispute over a tight result.



Of Botswana&#8217;s population of 2.2 million people, 924,000 registered voters will elect 57 national assembly and 490 local government representatives.



The winning party&#8217;s candidate then becomes president.



Polls open at 6:30 a.m. (0430 GMT) and close at 7 p.m.



Masisi is standing on his record on tackling corruption, such as making a declaration of assets obligatory for public sector officials, and slashing bureaucracy for small businesses.



Khama, the son of founding president Seretse Khama, quarrelled with Masisi over cabinet posts and the new president&#8217;s controversial scrapping of an elephant hunting ban in May, which Khama had enforced four years earlier. Elephants, however, have not been an issue during the campaign.



The main concerns for the Batswana are unemployment hovering at around 20% and stark inequalities despite equitable state spending on health and education. To tackle either, the winner will need to do more to diversify the economy.



Mbakisi Gopolang, 25, waiting in line to cast his vote at a primary school in the capital Gaborone, said he was disappointed by the last decade under the governing BDP.



&#8220;The last ten years have been regressive, so I don&#8217;t want continuation of that. I am voting for a party that will drive economic growth, empower citizens and get rid of corruption and bring about transparency.&#8221;



Diamond mining has fallen to a fifth of GDP in 2018, compared with half in the 1990s, but it still makes up three quarters of foreign exchange earnings, even as banking and tourism grab a greater share of output. 



By Brian Benza 



(Editing by Tim Cocks, Editing by Ed Osmond &amp; Simon Cameron-Moore)

Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party

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In Botswana this morning hundreds of thousands of people queued up to vote in the country’s elections that promise to be one of the most contested in the country’s democratic history. The ruling BDP is looking to hold onto power that has lasted for more than half a century. Meanwhile a disgruntled former president called Ian Khama is looking to upset the apple cart by lending his support to the opposition. Joining CNBC Africa more is Menzi Ndhlovu, Senior Analyst at Signal Risk.

botswana democratic party

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

Key issues to watch as Botswana heads to the polls

Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party

Botswana Decides: Why Botswana’s election could be decided by Ian Khama

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botswana democratic party

Anger from former President Ian Khama as Botswana’s butterfly spy case takes another turn.

Key issues to watch as Botswana heads to the polls

Botswana polls open in first real challenge to ruling party

Botswana Decides: Why Botswana’s election could be decided by Ian Khama

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