Accused police officers back on Shs165b pension probe

Suspects in the pension scam Mr Christopher Obey, Mr Kiwanuka Kunsa and Mr David Oloka at the Anti-Corruption Court. File Photo

What you need to know:

Reason. In re-instating Mr Komurubuga and Mr Kato on the case, the IGP acted on the request of DPP Mike Chibita.

Parliament.

The two detectives accused of pocketing bribes by the head of the police Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Directorate (CIID) in the Shs165b dismissed pension scam case have been re-instated on the probe team by the Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Kale Kayihura.

In his letter, dated May 26, Gen Kayihura deployed eight top detectives to assist the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Justice Mike Chibita resurrect the investigations into the abuse of Shs165b.

The new officers IGP assigned to the pension case are Commissioner Chelimo Beata; detectives Jimmy Aguma, Benson Wathum, Egido Otim, Beatrice Khainza and Emmanuel Wasswa.

In addition to the six detectives, Gen Kayihura said: “D/SP George Komurubuga and D/AIP Moses Kato will also be available as you requested.” Gen Kayihura explained in the letter that he included D/SSP Aguma because he is an ICT specialist.

In re-instating Mr Komurubuga and Mr Kato on the case, Gen Kayihura acted on the request of Justice Chibita who, according to sources at DPP made a “passionate appeal” to have the two detectives reinstated on the case.

Justice Chibita had on May 19 requested the IGP to send him a team of police investigators, including the two detectives that CIID boss, Ms Grace Akullo had accused of pocketing bribes to author a parallel file which jeopardised the investigations.

In an interview with the Daily Monitor in April this year, Ms Akullo accused the two operatives of instigating the collapse of the case where nine suspects were charged with masterminding the plunder of Shs165b belonging to pensioners.

Asked why he requested the return of the two accused officers, Justice Chibita yesterday declined to comment on the new developments before looking at the contents of Gen Kayihura letter.

He also said he needed to see his letter of May 19 before discussing the matter. Justice Chibita, however, promised to give the details to Daily Monitor today.

However, it’s not clear whether Ms Akullo will continue to oversee the new investigation into the pension scam since her name was not mentioned in Gen Kayihura’s letter to the DPP.

Ms Akullo has since been stopped from talking to the media without clearance from the IGP.
Gen Kayihura, has since ordered an inquiry to establish how information about the investigations into the pension scam case and the internal feuds between the Force’s crime fighting units went to the media without his permission.

MPs who talked to Daily Monitor at the weekend said the decision by IGP is “a slap in the face” of Ms Akullo, who last month alleged the two detectives (Mr Komurubuga and Mr Kato) were bribed by some of the key suspects who also asked if she had received her share.

Ms Akullo claimed the duo, without her knowledge, wrote a second investigation report which contradicted the official report she had signed off, and submitted to the DPP. She said they authored the second report “in order to account for the money they had received from the suspects.”

The two detectives have since denied allegations of pocketing bribes to compromise the investigation.

But when Parliament committees: Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Defence and Internal Affairs made parallel inquiries into what led to the bungling of the pension scam case, they found that the second report in question was neither authored by the two detectives nor forwarded to DPP by the same officers.

However, the MPs, according to sources, agreed in principle to “let bygones be bygones” and tasked DPP and IGP to reinstate the case.
Police spokespersons Fred Enanga and deputy spokesperson Polly Namaye were not available to speak on the new developments and what role the CIID boss Ms Akullo will play in the new probe.
Mr Komurubuga and Mr Kato could also not answer repeated phone calls. Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson, Mr Patrick Onyango, declined to comment on the matter and instead referred Daily Monitor to Mr Enanga and Ms Namaye whom he said speak on behalf of the IGP.

The pension scam case was on April 13 dismissed by the Anti-Corruption Court after the State failed to produce a single witness for two years since the suspects were arrested. The dismissal of the case triggered accusations and counter-accusations between the police and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.