Two former armed force personnel, a RBA Lieutenant Colonel and the other a RBA personnel, indicted in DeSuung fund embezzlement case has requested the High Court to acquit them of the charges laid against them and issue an order to reinstate them.
The two accused are among the 40 people convicted by the military court in December for their involvement in the DeSuung fund embezzlement case.
At the evidence hearing held yesterday, the two accused submitted evidence to prove their innocence. The former lieutenant colonel pointed out a mistake in the amount he is accused of having embezzled.
He said the prosecutor, during the opening hearing, accused him of embezzling over Nu 280,000, while the military court’s judgment convicted him of having embezzled over Nu 219, 000.
The defendants also submitted to the court that both the internal audit team and Royal Audit Authority (RAA) did not find any lapses.
Clarifying on the mismatch in the amount, the RBA prosecutor said, it was a typo error made by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while compiling evidence.
The two RBA prosecutors also read out before the court the evidence statements from the shopkeepers and the defendants at the court.
The prosecutors requested the court to summon ACC officials and shopkeepers for cross examination.
The military court in December last year convicted the Lieutenant Colonel for embezzling close to Nu 900,000 from the DeSuung fund.
The military court ruled that the officer misused over Nu 400,000 during the 5th batch DeSuung Training Porgramme and the remaining amount of nearly Nu 460,000 during the 10th batch DeSuung Training Porgramme.
The RBA personnel, meanwhile, was convicted for embezzling Nu 100,000.
Unhappy with the military court’s judgment, the two appealed to the High Court.
The 40 people convicted by the military court in the DeSuung fund embezzlement case include five RBA officers, nine non-commissioned officers and 16 shopkeepers.
