Army court remands policemen, soldiers over spying for Rwanda
The accused officers before the General Court Martial on Monday. They are accused of sharing sensitive and classified information to the government of Rwanda. PHOTO | URN
Two senior police officers have been remanded to Makindye Military prison over offences about sharing security information with the Rwandan government.
The suspects; Mr Benon Akandwanaho, a community liaison officer for Kira Police Station, and Mr Frank Sabiiti, a counter-terrorism official attached to Mutukula border post, appeared before the General Court Martial in Makindye on Monday.
The policemen are jointly charged with five soldiers; Lt Alex Kasamula attached to Military Police at Makindye, Lt Phillip Ankunda, a pilot attached to the Special Forces Command, Pte Nathan Ndwaine, a student of flight engineering and maintenance at Nakasongola Air Defence facility, Pte Moses Asiimwe, an airplane mechanical engineer and Pte Godfrey Mugabi.
They denied the charges and were remanded to military prison. The offences attract up to a death sentence upon conviction.
Lt Gen Andrew Gutti, the court chairman, remanded the suspects until August 31 for mention of their cases, pending completion of investigations.
The accused were arrested by a joint team of military intelligence officers and police about three months ago, and detained at the Special Investigations Division in Kireka.
Prosecution alleges that between February and May in various parts of Kampala, the accused and others still at large shared various security information with agents of the Rwandan government with intent to prejudice Uganda’s security.
The army prosecutor, Lt Col Raphael Mugisha, told court that investigations into the case were still ongoing, and asked for three weeks to complete the inquiries.
Other offences
The accused were arraigned before the court amid pending cases involving other senior police officers. They are charged with offences of aiding and abetting kidnap.
