Horizon case hits deadlock

Court calls for independent expertise The embezzlement case involving six military officials took another turn on Friday as a result of the continued disagreements between Military prosecution and defence lawyers. Court has ordered for a second independent expert study on the controversial Gashora dykes after the accused vehemently contested the findings of the initial expert report. “We can’t solve all these technical problems without bringing in an independent expert for further evaluation,” ruled Major Marc Sebaganji who presided over the hearing at the Military Tribunal. Horizon Construction, a private company was contracted to construct dykes in Gashora wetland, but recent topographic findings revealed a mismatch on what was agreed upon in the contract. Lt. Col. Paul Semana who was General Manager of Horizon maintained that they did the job according to the contract, expressing doubts on methodology used by hired experts that did the evaluation. “These GPS machines that collaborate with satellite don’t offer much precision,” lamented Captain Claudien Bizimungu, one of the accused, who also happens to be an engineer. Military prosecutors accuse the army officers of swindling up to Rwf 700 million The judges of the military court also decided that they will make a site tour of the project to gather more details on ground. Though the exercise seems to be complex and taking long, defence lawyers continued to express deep concern over what they call “prosecution’s failure” to come up with clear allegations against each of the accused. Court was adjourned to July 30. Ends

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Horizon case hits deadlock