Emma Katto out on Shs3 million bail
By Solomon Muyita & Lydia Mukisa
Feb 25, 2005
KAMPALA - After just a night in jail, Mr Emmanuel Katto, a businessman and former rally ace, was yesterday released on bail by the High Court.
His release was however, on condition that he pays cash Shs3 million and deposits a land deed for Plot 8 Ntinda II Road, Naguru.
Justice Remmy Kasule of Kampala High Court said he was convinced with Katto's bail application, which he made through his advocate, Mr Bob Kasango of Hall and Partners of Uganda Advocates.
He, however, ordered Katto to report to the trial court on the 25 of every month.
Buganda Road Court Chief Magistrate, Ms Margaret Tibulya, on Wednesday remanded Katto to Luzira Prisons over the controversial purchase of junk helicopters.
The State contends that he tried to bribe President Yoweri Museveni's young brother, Lt. Gen Salim Saleh with $800,000, to facilitate the controversial deal.
The Mengo Minister in charge of the Treasury, Dr Apollo Makubuya, Kampala Kasino proprietor, Mr Bob Kabonero and Global Technical Works owner, Mr Barnabus Taremwa, stood surety for Katto.
The court bonded the trio to Shs50 million, each (not cash).
Katto did base his application on "exceptional circumstances" of advanced age, grave illness or no objection from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), a ground commonly used in bail application before the High Court.
His lawyer simply argued that his client had a constitutional right to attend his trial from outside prison.
COOLING DOWN: Mr Katto at the High Court yesterday (Photo by Wandera w’Ouma).
Kasango said Katto was still innocent until proven guilty, and had a constitutional right to get bail.
The Court heard that Katto was an international businessman, representing many international companies in Uganda.
Kasango said that despite his wide travel, Katto is an obedient citizen who has voluntarily taking himself to the police, and flew in from the UK to answer court summons.
"It is laughable for anyone to say Mr Katto would interfere with Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh, who seems to be the sole witnesses in the case," Kasango said.
Justice Kasule overruled objections from State Attorney, Josephine Namatovu, that there was no merit in Katto's bail application because "he had adduced nothing to justify his release."
She had also applied for Katto's passport to be kept in court custody for fear that he would abscond.
Katto, 46, said he is a director of Emka (U) Ltd, and he is married with five children. Most of his relatives and friends waited until court accepted his bail application.
He allegedly committed the offences of corruption as director of Consolidated Sales Corporation (CSC), which was contracted to supply four Mi-24 military choppers to the UPDF between 1996 and 1997.
The government apparently lost $6,454,275 (about sh11b) in the deal it awarded to CSC, when the company breached the contract and supplied helicopters that could not fly.© 2005 The Monitor Publications.
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Sounds like setting a rapist free, and jailing the victim.
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It is the plunder of nation’s resources that breeds poverty
In reference to Mr Moses Byaruhanga's opinion article, "Make Poverty History campaign can succeed if protectionism is eliminated", The Monitor, Feb 10, 2005. Byaruhanga stressed the key causes of poverty in Africa as: Exportation of raw materials, protectionism by the rich industrilised countries, low levels of consumption and investment. He also castigated foreign aid, asserting that it doesn't help to solve Africa’s economic problems.
Taking a case study of Uganda, poverty is highly prevalent because of: robbery, corruption and plundering of resources that are meant for the common man.
Poor planning and resource misallocation for instance: The biggest percentage of Uganda's population derives its livelihood from agricultur, and this is where the government is expected to expend maximum efforts, since it is Uganda's backbone.
But it’s highly lamentable that the government channels most of the resources to the defence sector only to the comfort and enrichment of senior UPDF officers, while the common man is left to languish, yawn and pant in massive poverty.
More so, credit facilities should be extended to the common man regardless of his or her social, political, and ideological inclinations at very low levels of interest rates to enable them initiate income-generating activities.James Tibwita
KampalaMonitor Letters, Feb 25, 2005
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