Ghanaian woman detained in Botwana

...for allegedly forging Botswana passport
GABORONE - Chief Magistrate Takura Charumbira last week detained 27-year-old Theodora Addoyi in jail to enable the state to complete its investigations.

Addoda faces a single charge of forging a Botswana passport numbered N 861239 and another of uttering a false document in the form of a Botswana passport to officials of the German Embassy.

In persuading Charumbira to imprison Addoyi, principal state counsel Matlhogonolo Phuthego argued that if the accused was to be granted bail, the state would suffer immense prejudice.

He said the affidavit already filed by the investigating officer indicated that Addoyi was found in possession of two passports, a Botswana one and a Ghana passport.

"Accused was then arrested in the process of applying for a visa to go to Germany using a Botswana passport," he said. "As it is we do not know how many passports she has and it would thus be unsafe to admit her to bail under those circumstances." He pleaded with the court to take a stern measure to deal with the rampant problem of foreigners forging Botswana passports.

"The accused is not even a naturalised citizen of Botswana," he added.

"The two passports seized from her show that she has at least two different names being Theodora Molefhe as per Botswana passport and Theodora Ayoko Addoyi as reflected in the Ghana passport."

For her part, the accused said that she was not familiar with the charges against her as such she required the services of a lawyer.

She opposed Phuthego's application saying: "I have stayed in Botswana for the past 23 years with my brother and sisters and there is no way I can abscond. Furthermore, the police have also taken all my travelling documents." In his ruling, Charumbira said that the ends of justice might be compromised if the accused was to be released at the incipient stages of investigations.

As such he ordered that Addoyi be detained for a fortnight after which the issue of bail would be addressed afresh.