Court acquits five Police officers accused of destroying evidence of 1 million

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala has acquitted five Police officers who were accused of destroying exhibit of one million shillings.

The five officers Assistant Inspector of Police Apollo Kibuuka, Detective Constable Moses Okello, Karim Bakole, detective Prossy Candia and Sergent Mariah Nangobi, all working under the Criminal Investigations Office at Katwe Police station were arrested in 2020.

Abert Asiimwe, the Acting senior Principal Magistrate Grade one of the Anti Corruption Division of the High Court of Uganda acquitted them today after prosecution failed to prove their case.

Prosecution alleged that between August and September 2020 AIP Kibuuka abused his office when he failed to disclose money exhibits recovered by him in the cases of theft of Lato Milk. Kibuuka, who was also the officer-in-charge of the Land Desk, is said to have recovered the money from Lawrence Karungi and didnot report the recovery.

Prosecution further alleged that Kibuuka and the others conspired to commit a felony when they destroyed the said money by sharing it. It was alleged that after Kibuuka didn’t record the money, he gave it to Baloke who distributed it to the remaining three. It was alledged that Nangobi borrowed 200,000 Shillings, Okello 300,000 while Candia borrowed 500,000 shillings.

However, Kibuuka and all the others denied receiving the money.

Prosecution presented four witnesses some of whom said that indeed Kibuuka had recovered money from Karungi, others said, he has received the money from Karungi’s relatives.

The Acting Principal Magistrate said that in absence of a handwriting expert report to prove the handwriting of Kibuuka who is alleged to have handed the money to Baloke and that the others also borrowed the said money makes it difficult to believe prosecution although much suspicion cannot be ruled out.

“No witness testified that the money was recovered from Karungi instead, two witnesses testified that Kibuuka told them that he had recovered money from relatives of Karungi” ruled the Acting Principal Magistrate.

He added that the prosecution evidence couldn’t prove the recovery and existence of shillings one million, the Prosecution failed to prove that the accused had recovered the said money because the person from whom it was recovered was never brought to Court.

The acting principal Magistrate further urged the officers to execute their mandate with integrity.

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