Gaborone – The Government of Botswana has formally apologized to Ambassador Bridgette Motsepe for false and reckless allegations that linked her to terrorism financing and money laundering.
In a press release issued on the 29 July 2025, the government acknowledged that on 29 October 2019, Mr. Jako Hubona, an investigator at the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime, submitted a sworn affidavit to the High Court of Botswana. In his affidavit, he alleged that Ambassador Motsepe was a co-signatory to bank accounts used to launder funds allegedly stolen from the Bank of Botswana and further implicated her in the financing of terrorism.
The government now admits that these allegations, which were also supported by several state institutions at the time, were entirely false and made without credible basis.
“The allegations made by Mr. Hubona against Ambassador Motsepe and supported by the government bodies he mentions are entirely false and were made recklessly,” reads the official statement.
In addition to Ambassador Motsepe, the allegations also implicated a number of other individuals and institutions. These included Wilhemina Maswabi, former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, the late Isaac Kgosi, various financial institutions, and the South African Reserve Bank.
The press release notes that the Government of Botswana, along with the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime, the Directorate of Intelligence Security Services, and Mr. Hubona himself, have all unconditionally retracted the allegations. A formal apology has been extended to Ambassador Motsepe and others named in the now-discredited claims.
The statement further underscores a shift in governance, highlighting that the new human rights-based administration under Advocate Duma Boko is committed to the principles of justice and transparency. “The new human rights-based Government of Botswana under the leadership of Advocate Duma Boko reaffirms its commitment to the rule of law and assures the public that fabrications of the nature as occurred will never occur,” it concludes.
