Mbonye Testifies On Junk Choppers

Former Defence Secretary Dr. Ben Mbonye yesterday said the suppliers of the junk military helicopters purchased by the army were Uganda's public relations consultants in the United Kingdom. Anne Mugisa, Alfred Wasike and Milton Olupot report that Mbonye, who was appearing before the judicial commission of inquiry into the purchase, identified the consultants as Christopher Smith and Max Waterman of the British Consolidated Sales Corporation (CSC). Mbonye said CSC frustrated efforts of the ministry to deal directly with the Belaspelsuneshtechnika (BT), a Belarussian government corporation where CSC was getting the gunships. He said the ministry later learnt that Emmanuel Katto was one of the directors of CSC. Mbonye said the company did not provide the ministry with any information about itself and its track record was not gauged. He said, however, that Maj. Gen. Salim Saleh told the committee dealing with the tender that he introduced CSC. "We assumed that Maj. Gen. Salim Saleh knew them very well," Mbonye said adding that Saleh also said he believed then that CSC was a good company because "it dealt with our public relations in London." The committee handling the tender included Amama Mbabazi, then Army Commander Mugisha Muntu, Mbonye, the late Chief of Staff Chefe Ali, Brig. Ali Kiiza and Col. Kizza Besigye. Mbonye said the ministry was also hard pressed for time and therefore had to buy the helicopters quickly. He said there was pressure from the northern conflict and pressure from Mbabazi, the state minister for defence then. Mbonye also said the ministry faced communication problems with manufacturers and suppliers from the former soviet countries and therefore could not make deals with them easily. He said, however, they now deal directly with Belarus. Mbonye said even when the ministry got directly in touch with BT they were reluctant to abandon CSC because the move would be taken in bad faith. Mbonye said he learnt of CSC when Mbabazi introduced the company to him in an attachment to a letter written by President Yoweri Museveni. He said the letter said that CSC had made an offer to supply the gunships. He said the State House letter also directed them to purchase four gunships with particular specifications. Mbonye said Museveni's letter said those particular gunships were faster, combat protected from small arms, had provisions for installation of three anti-missile systems and could be mounted with equipment to protect against heat seeking missiles. Mbonye said the letter said that the gunships had to be manufactured not earlier than 1988. See verbatim - "Defence Lacks Checks On Armay hardware Suppliers" Ends.