Former Botswana President Ian Khama has filed an urgent court motion seeking to dismiss an arrest order issued by a magistrate last week.
Khama, whose father, Seretse Khama, was Botswana’s founding president, is embroiled in a dispute with his successor, current President Mokgweetsi Masisi, which led to his departure from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party in 2019.
The charges against him include unauthorised possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property, and procuring the registration of a firearm by false pretences.
According to court documents released on Thursday, the former president has petitioned the Gaborone High Court to set aside or suspend the execution of the order against him, citing a lack of evidence for his prosecution.
“The warrant of arrest threatens my right to liberty in circumstances where I have committed no crime…should this warrant of arrest not be stayed or set aside…I would suffer irreparable harm which cannot be compensated for in any form,” he said in the filing.
According to his counsel, he is still waiting for a court date. Khama has skipped court hearings since being charged in April, claiming that he was afraid for his life in Botswana.
Khama is now the patron of the Botswana Patriotic Front, a breakaway political party.