Former President of Botswana issued arrest warrant

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AA) - The former President of Botswana, Ian Khama, was issued an arrest warrant Friday on charges of illegal possession of firearms.

Khama faces 14 charges, among them allegations of money laundering and handling stolen property, but the warrant is only for the possession of five illegal firearms.

The former president is charged along with the former head of intelligence and police services, Isaac Kgosi, suspended Police Commissioner Keabetswe Makgophe and Victor Paledi, a former deputy permanent secretary in the Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture Ministry

The arrest warrant follows Khama's failure to appear for trial earlier this year.

Mareledi Dipate, the magistrate who issued the arrest warrant, said Khama should be apprehended on sight and taken to the Broadhurst Magistrate’s Court.

Khama, 69, left Botswana last year and is believed to be living in neighboring South Africa.

He has, however, vehemently denied the charges, saying they are part of a political conspiracy after he fell out with his successor, President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Khama, the son of Botswana's first President Seretse Khama, was the fourth president of Botswana.

After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Khama ventured into politics and was vice president from 1998 to 2008 before succeeding Festus Mogae as president in 2008.

Khama was re-elected during elections in 2009.

He was re-elected in October 2014, leaving office four years later after completing two five-year terms.

In April, Khama told the BBC Focus on Africa program that charges he faced were “fabricated” while he alleged that people in Masisi’s government wanted "to do me harm."

"He (Masisi) wants to eliminate me before the 2024 elections because he views me as his biggest stumbling block to his re-election," said Khama.

But authorities have denied the allegations by Khama.

"The narrative that the former president and his family members are being persecuted is devoid of any truth," government spokesperson John-Thomas Dipowe, told the media in May.