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matter with the Council to resolve it. In these instances, it could not be ascertained whether the Government had in the past paid the appropriate amounts relative to the Government properties. 

Further, it was noted that the payment for the financial year 2016/17 was significantly lower than those in previous years, and the amount appropriated for this purpose, as shown in the table below- 

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(c) Three officers of the Department who had been dismissed from the Public Service owed Government a total of P104 059 and these amounts had not been deducted from their terminal benefits. The debts covered a variety of sources including salary overpayment, rental from occupation of Government quarters and a loss of cash case. It had been intimated that these losses had not been reported to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, contrary to the provisions of Financial Instructions and Procedures. 

(d) Correspondence on departmental files had indicated that 6 officers in the Francistown office of the Department had been involved in systematic fraudulent sale and allocation of land for their own financial benefit. The report addressed to the Attorney General in February 2010 by the Accounting Officer had indicated that there were altogether 26 plots so far identified belonging to different people and some to Botswana Government. As I understand it, the prosecution of these officers is still pending with 5 on interdiction with pay and the other one has resigned. 

Despite the fact that my communication to the Accounting Officer was transmitted to him as far back as July 2018, at the time of writing the report I had still not received his comments on the matters raised. 

