FOUR JUDGES ACCUSED OF BRINGING THE JUDICIARY INTO DIREPUTE APOLOGISE TO PRESIDENT KHAMA

President Ian Khama has agreed to lift the suspension from duty of four High Court Judges who were accused of undermining the Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo and bringing the judiciary into disrepute.

The four Judges are Justice Key Dingake, Justice Modiri Letsididi, Justice Mercy Garekwe and Justice Ranier Busang. Khama suspended the quartet for challenging Justice Dibotelo's move to report them to the Police for receiving housing allowances while staying in official residences. A press statement from the Office of the President this week revealed that Khama has further recalled the Tribunal, which had been previously established to investigate conduct of the four judges.

“The decision was made after the Judges, on their own volition, had approached His Excellency the President to apologise for their previous actions, which had resulted in their original suspension,” the statement reads.

In this respect the four Judges subsequently agreed to a set of settlement proposals, which had been put forward by the President instructing the quartet to withdraw their letter of 12th August 2015 to the Chief Justice, which had been copied to all Judges, including the allegations made therein; together with the further allegations made in the petition dated 17 August 2015, that had been addressed to the Judicial Service Commission.

Khama further instructed the judges to withdraw their review case, which was pending before the High Court. The president further directed the judges to write to the Registrar of the High Court offering to arrange terms of repayment of Housing Allowances that they had inappropriately received in the past. Moreover, the modalities of the assumption of duties by the four Judges will be made by the Chief Justice.