Prosecution pins former minister over Aya bribe
Former Labour State minister Herbert Kabafunzaki
KAMPALA- Prosecution yesterday played a video clip in court showing a scuffle between former Labour State minister Herbert Kabafunzaki, his aide and the plain-clothed police detectives.
The video clip was extracted from the CCTV footage obtained from Kampala Serena Hotel.
Mr Kabafunzaki allegedly received a Shs5m bribe from Aya Group chairman Mohammed Mohammed Hamid last year in exchange of clearing his name in the media of the sexual harassment allegations that had been brought against him by his former female employee at the then Hilton Hotel last year.
The head of criminal investigations at Kampala Central Police Station, Mr Joshua Tusingwire, narrated to court the developments that led to the arrest of Mr Kabafunzaki on April 8 last year.
In his testimony to the Anti-Corruption Court yesterday, Mr Tusingwire narrated that on April 8 last year, he received a phone call from his supervisor, Mr Johnson Olora, alerting him about a senior government official, who was soliciting a Shs5m bribe.
“My supervisor did not disclose the name of the senior official involved at the time but he asked me to organise detectives and a scene of crime officer to be on standby,” detective Tusingwire told court presided over by Justice Margaret Tibulya.
The 31-year-old witness said he later received another phone call from someone who introduced himself as Hamid who told him that a certain senior government official was soliciting a bribe from him.
Also charged
Mr Kabafunzaki is jointly charged with Brian Mugabo, his political assistant, and Bruce Lubowa, an interior designer from Wakiso District.
However, Mr Lubowa was not in court yesterday becuase he was unwell and admitted to Butabika hospital.
During cross-examination by Mr MacDusman Kabega, the minister’s defence lawyer, the witness said the video clip played in court does not show Mr Hamid handing over the said Shs5m bribe to the minister.
Counsel Kabega further asked the witness whether the same video clip showed the person who picked the Shs5m from the carpet and he answered in negative.
