More officials interrogated over sh14b award

By Vision Reporters                                      

Former Attorney General Prof. Khidu Makubuya Tuesday made a surprise appearance at the criminal investigations directorate (CID) headquarters, where he was interrogated in connection to a controversial sh14b court award, allegedly irregularly granted. 

Makubuya who had hitherto failed to appear on two occasions-on Wednesday last week and Monday this week turned up at the CID headquarters in Kibuli in the afternoon, contrary to earlier reports that he had notified police that he would avail himself on Friday this week.

Dressed in a dark grey suit and holding a red 2012 diary, Makubuya arrived at the CID headquarters at about 1:10pm accompanied by his lawyer MacDosman Kabega, who spotted a grey pin stripped suit and held a diary in his hand.

After disembarking from their four wheel drive car registration number UAL 917K, they consulted briefly before heading to one of the offices. They were later led to the office of the director, Grace Akullo at 1:16pm and 23 minutes later was led to the interrogation room down stairs.  He left at about 4:30pm in a white Toyota Harrier Registration number UAQ 404Y.

  Attempts to get a comment from Akullo about the professor's appearance were futile as she was reported to be in a series of meetings.

Other officers expressed shock at his sudden appearance. "We were surprised to receive phone calls alerting us that he would be coming today in the early afternoon," a source said.  The source said Makubuya requested for paperwork relating to the matter to enable him prepare for exhaustive interaction with the Police, at a later date.

The court award was authorized in 2005 after the UPDF allegedly impounded 10 foreign registered trucks in 1996 which later went missing in Kasese district. However, it is suspected that the award which is still pending is shrouded in fraud and if honoured could occasion loss to the government.

The award, according to police was authorized by the then Solicitor General Lucian Tibaruha on which Makubuya recommended an out of court settlement of sh14.485b. Tibaruha has since been interrogated over the same matter.

Both Tibaruha and Makubuya's action came after, the then Permanent Secretary in the ministry of defence Dr. Ben Mbonye and the then State Minister for defence Steven Kavuma (now court of appeal judge) wrote letters in 1998 and 1999 stating that the UPDF had a bad case in court which should be settled out of court.

Both Mbonye and the former legal aid to the President now West Budama North MP, Fox Odoi Oywelowo have been questioned over the matter. Sources in the know yesterday said detectives handling that matter would like to know Makubuya's role in the matter, more especially why he recommended an out of court settlement even without litigation and why he allegedly misadvised and misled the President into believing that the matter was undefendable in court.

Police launched investigations into the scam early this year following directions by the Attorney General Peter Nyombi after President Yoweri Museven I picked interest in the matter.

It is alleged that the UPDF in November 1996 impounded 10 foreign registered trucks loaded with merchandise which later vanished, triggering off a number of court cases, culminating in the consent judgment amounting to sh14.485b.

Following the disappearance of the trucks two Companies-Goodman's Agencies Ltd., and Hasa Agencies ltd., dragged the government to court, claiming to be baillees, having hired them through hire agreements. However, controversy set in after the credibility of some of the documents filed by the companies was raised.

After Tibaruha authorized an out of court settlement detailing a breakdown of the amount, the consent judgment was drawn and entered into  between the  Attorney General and the plaintiffs and consequently a decree extracted ordering the deposit of the detrital amount with the court to be paid to the plaintiffs. However, payments have to date not been made largely owing to the controversies.