Kgosi’s new deposit at Barclays

DIS Director General, Isaac Kgosi recently deposited another wad of cash at Barclays Bank, days before welcoming Lt. Colonel Modiri Kooagile, his newly appointed Deputy Director General.

Colonel Kgosi faces several allegations of impropriety, which include corruption, abuse of office and money laundering.  Botswana Guardian has it on good authority that a junior DIS female agent walked into Carbo Prestige Centre at Riverwalk and deposited a wad of around P33 000 into Colonel Kgosi’s personal account. 

Upon noticing that her action was drawing attention, the officer is said to have jeered at bank tellers and onlookers and said that they should “go report the new deposit” to the media. 

Despite drawing the admonition of bank security and management, the officer is said to have refused to end her tirade in the banking hall. Efforts to reach Barclays Bank management at Carbo Centre proved futile. 

A banker who did not want to be identified said an unprovoked lady clad in blue jeans and a golf shirt drew attention when she started speaking loudly about the cash she was depositing. 

“Management advised her to tone down but she could have none of it,” the banker said.

Section 43 (1) of the Banking Act prohibits directors and employees of a commercial bank from divulging information concerning any customer’s deposits, borrowings or transactions.

The new deposit comes at a time when the Office of the President (OP) under the instruction of Permanent Secretary to the President (PSP), Eric Molale is hatching a plan to obstruct the ongoing investigations into the allegations of corruption levelled against the top security agent at DIS. 

Led by two prominent lawyers, the plan, dubbed Operation Save Kgosi involves frustrating efforts by the corruption watchdog, the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) to prosecute Kgosi and using a local Public Relations guru to project Colonel Kgosi as an unlucky Messiah. DCEC boss, Rose Seretse, whose term in office ends at the end of December this year is said to be under pressure to forward the Kgosi docket for prosecution. 

The new deposit also comes after President Ian Khama appointed DIS second in command who replaced Tefo Kgotlhane. Little is known about Leutinent Colonel Kooagile, a former Commando. He retired from the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) sometime in 2012. His Curriculum Vitae appears much more impressive than that of his boss. 

In January 2006, Lt. Col. Kooagile completed an Africom sponsored course in “Next Generation of African Leaders Program. He was also appointed to seat in the Jan Hendrik Steyn Commission in Lesotho on the 13th of January in 2010.  It is not clear when Lt. Colonel Kooagile joined the embattled DIS, but security observers say his military and administrative expertise will help steer the DIS ship much further from the troubled waters. Colonel Kgosi could not be reached for comment as his mobile rang unanswered.