The Royal Bhutan Army’s prosecutor yesterday rebutted to the High Court that Colonel Kinley Dorji did not have evidence to prove for the amount he was alleged to have embezzled.

However, prosecutor Kinga Tenzin submitted to court that Col Kinley Dorji has hand written bills and note sheets to show for the purchase of restricted items and soelras.

Col Kinley Dorji is one of the 15 officers allegedly involved in the DeSuung embezzlement case. He served as an administrative officer during the second batch and was alleged to have embezzled Nu 315,069 according to the military court judgment.

The prosecutor said Col Kinley Dorji was charged for misusing Nu 315,069. He said that the officer with permission had maintained the details of the bills of purchasing restricted items separately and not by adjusting bill with other items.

“However, the main issue was between Kinley Dorji and vendor Ugyen Tshomo,” Kinga Tenzin said. “This is because he said that he paid a bill of Nu 615,069 to Ugyen Tshomo but she submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that she received Nu 300,000.”

The military court’s judgment was based on the statement submitted by the ACC, where Ugyen Tshomo stated that although she couldn’t remember to whom she gave a blank bill, she said that she might have received a bill of Nu 300,000 from Col Kinley Dorji.

“Col Kinley Dorji didn’t have evidence or bill to prove that he actually paid Nu 615,069 to Ugyen Tshomo,” the prosecutor said. “The court charged him on this amount of Nu 315,069, which is considered as misused.”

Meanwhile, Col Kinley Dorji said there was no audit or internal audit memos issued.

“Bajo was a small town then and there were not many shops and to make items available for DeSuups; it was during that time I had purchased items from Ugyen Tshomo,” he submitted. “Ugyen Tshomo was interrogated when she was expecting and the ACC had asked her to at least remember the approximate amount she received.”

He said Ugyen Tshomo was asked to guess the amount and said that she received about Nu 300,000.

“Ugyen Tshomo gave her statement to the military court that she can’t remember the amount she received. But the court passed the judgment based not on her statement to the court but to the ACC.”

Kinley Dorji will rebut on February 19.

Yangchen C Rinzin