Attorney Lone Masire appeared before the Village Chief Magistrate, Lot Moroka on Friday to answer two counts of obtaining by false pretences, forgery and conspiracy to defraud Botswana Insurance Company Limited.

Masire and co-accused, Thuso Lekhutile, are alleged to have forged a Botswana police motor vehicle accident report and submitted it for insurance and damages cover in 2006. The two are accused of swindling Botswana Insurance Company Limited of P34,923.70 and plotting a scheme to claim the amount as insurance cover for Lekhutile's motor vehicle at a time when it was involved in an accident. The P34,923.70 is alleged to have been claimed at a time when the accused falsely represented that the vehicle was insured through AON Botswana, a broker of Botswana Insurance.

It is alleged that the duo tried to defraud the same insurance company of P16,015 as motor vehicle accident damages. They tried this by influencing the insurance company to pay the money out as insurance and accident damages to a certain Meshack Chitanda to cover for damages to his car caused by Lelhutile's vehicle.

The accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have told the court they intend to seek legal representation. Masire made a request for the prosecution to supply them with witness statements to prepare for their defence.

Boyce Rampete represented the state. The case will be mentioned on February 13.