Organ trade: Indian professor bailed

Jul 11, 2013

Three people including a senior UPDF officer and an Indian professor who appeared before a Kampala Court on Wednesday over alleged involvement in illicit trade of human organs have been granted bail.

By Maurice Okore

Three people including a senior UPDF officer and an Indian professor who appeared before a Kampala Court  on Wednesday over alleged involvement in illicit trade of human organs have been granted bail.


Lt. Col John Kundu Wangusi, 56, attached to UPDF Air base, Prof. Vasudev Chaturvedi, 67, the vice president of Krishna Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) were granted a cash bail of sh2m on Thursday by the Buganda Road Court magistrate, Olive Kazarwe.

The magistrate also ordered the suspects to deposit their passports with the court while their surities were bonded  at sh20m.

The two are jointly charged with Christopher Ogwal, 23 an Information Technology (IT) student at Makerere University and resident of Katabi zone in Entebbe municipality.

According to prosecution led by the Resident State Attorney, Steven Asaba, the three accused persons committed the offense between March and June last year.

According to the charge sheet, the three and others still at large committed aggravated trafficking of persons, in violation of section 4 (i) of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act.

Prosecution further says that Krishna Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) in India organized, facilitated and made preparations for sending of Mathias Sekyewa to India for the purposed of removal of his kidney.

The three were earlier arrested by the Special Investigations Unit of Police.  Police investigations established that Vasudev contacted Ogwal to find someone willing to donate their kidney and would be flown to India. The donor, Sekyewa was allegedly promised sh200m after the procedure.

Police investigations established that upon reaching India, Sekyewa is reported to have had second thoughts about the operation and asked to return home. However, Prof. Vasudev and the medical team allegedly drugged him and extracted one of his kidneys. The case was reported at the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) in May this year.

The deputy Police Force spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said Police sanctioned a medical examination on the victim and showed that the victim’s left kidney was removed. The recipient of the kidney, Isaac Wadwoda, aged 22, is said to be the son of Lt Col Wangusi.

In  court on Wednesday session, the trio represented by lawyer Eric Kiingi, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});