The Committal Cour on Tuesday April 26, ruled that investigators did not receive bribes during their course of investigations against former Secretary for Lands and Physical Planning Romilly Kila-Pat and others.
Magistrate Cosmas Bidar found that the money received by investigating officers was for their travel allowance and not a bribe to investigate the defendants.
Bidar in giving his ruling into an application filed by Kila-Pat and his co-accuseds, said the two (investigating officer and the police prosecutor) had received K6,000 each as part of their travel allowance to provide assistance to the Lands and Physical Planning Department carry out a land verification exercise.
He dismissed the application sought by Kila-Pat on claims the police investigators abused the process during their investigation.
Kila-Pat, Simeon Andrew and Vavine Walo appeared in court on Wednesday with their lawyers. Walo is the Manager of Finance and Budget and Andrew is the Corporate Director of the Department of Lands.
They appeared on allegations that the three on October 14,2015 conspired within the Lands Department to apply to their own use the sum of K208, 569.70.
They are also alleged to have applied the money to their own use thus charged for misappropriation money that belonged to the Land Reform Trust Account.
Their case will return to the committal court at a later date.