High Court halts trial of suspects in ghost pilot case
High Court halts trial of suspects in ghost pilot case
What you need to know:
- The High Court in Kampala issued an interim order stopping the trial one of the suspects, Ms Caroline Kyakabale, until determination of the main case challenging the jurisdiction of the General Court Martial to try her when she is a civilian.
- Prosecution alleges that between October 2005 and January 2016, Maj Lubega, Ms Twinomugisha and Ms Kyakabale and others still at large caused the Ministry of Defence to enter into an employment contract with a non-existing pilot purportedly a Russian by the name of Valerie Ketrisk.
Kampala. The trial of three people, among them a senior UPDF officer, in connection with the recruitment of a ghost pilot that led to the loss of more than Shs2 billion has been halted.
It is believed that the Ministry of Defence lost more than Shs2 billion in salaries to the Mi-17 and Mi-24 military helicopters’ ghost pilot, who spent more than 11 years on the army’s payroll.
The High Court in Kampala issued an interim order stopping the trial one of the suspects, Ms Caroline Kyakabale, until determination of the main case challenging the jurisdiction of the General Court Martial to try her when she is a civilian.
The order issued by Justice Lydia Mugambe followed an application in which Ms Kyakabale is also seeking orders to quash the ongoing prosecution before the army court.
READ:
Army pays Shs2b to ‘ghost’ pilot
The loss was discovered through a June report released by a team appointed by Gen Katumba Wamala to investigate the matter.
Ms Kyakabale, the former human resources manager in- charge of civilian personnel in the Defence ministry, is jointly charged with Maj Kapalaga Lubega, an officer of the UPDF Air forces, and his wife Evas Lubega Twinomugisha.
According to the report published by Sunday Monitor in 2016, the ministry had paid out at least $618,000 (about Shs2.07 billion) in monthly salaries and another $120,000 (about Shs402 million) in gratuity to the ghost pilot-cum-instructor of the Mi17 and Mi24 helicopter gunships.
Prosecution alleges that between October 2005 and January 2016, Maj Lubega, Ms Twinomugisha and Ms Kyakabale and others still at large caused the Ministry of Defence to enter into an employment contract with a non-existing pilot purportedly a Russian by the name of Valerie Ketrisk.
The state further alleges during the same period, the trio fraudulently received money paid through Barclays Bank on account in various amounts totaling to Shs2m as purported salary for Ketrisk.
The prosecutor, Lt Col Raphael Mugisha, yesterday confirmed receipt of the order, saying it is in interest of justice for them to wait.
