Botswana’s former president Ian Khama appeared in a Justice of the Peace court docket in Gaborone on Friday and confronted prices of illegal possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property after coming back from three years in exile. This comes just one month earlier than the final election wherein his rival and former deputy President Mokgweetsi Masisi is in search of a last time period.
In accordance with the Khama Basis, the previous president had traveled to South Africa in 2021 for a go to and determined to not return on the finish of his go to as a consequence of threats on his life. Till Friday, he has stayed each in South Africa and Swaziland. The costs he’s confronted with have been leveled in opposition to him in his absence.
Earlier than his look in court docket on Friday, the inspiration launched a press statement stating that Khama determined to return to Gaborone to current himself to the court docket regarding the prices and warrants and to deal with them conclusively. Later, the court docket suspended two arrest warrants issued in opposition to him for failing to reply the fees. The 2 warrants have been issued again on December 29, 2021, and July 12, 2023. He’s set to appear in court docket on September 23.
The previous president additionally denied the fees, calling them politically backed. In 2019, Khama exited the ruling Botswana Democratic Get together (BDP) based by his father Seretse Khama, Botswana’s first president, after a fallout with now-President Masisi.
Within the current previous, Khama has been seen to have aligned with the opposition alliance Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) forward of the October general election. Khama having served as a president from 2008 to 2018 cannot run for workplace as a consequence of time period limits.
Source / Picture: jurist.org
