Ian Khama, the former President of Botswana, has returned to the country to face trial.

He appeared in court last week, after three years of self-imposed exile in South Africa. He faces charges of money laundering and owning illegal guns, charges which Khama claims are politically motivated. He also said that there was a plot to kill him if he ever returned to Botswana.

Khama, the son of Botswana’s first post-independence leader. Seretse Khama, was president from 2008 to 2018. Following disagreements with his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, Khama defected from his former party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and joined the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF).

Botswana is due to hold elections at the end of next month, with Khama expected to campaign for the country’s opposition.

Image: Foreign and Commonwealth Office via Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/foreignoffice/12498848125/in/photostream/


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