By JOSHUA ARLO
HUNDREDS of illegal horse racing machines estimated to be worth over K8 million has been uncovered by a police operation involved in the crimes unit recently and taken into its possession yesterday.
The machines are court exhibits which would be used to aid the police force in a pending court appeal by the National Gaming Control Board and the force against a Supreme Court order preventing them from confiscating and destroying the machines.
The machines were confiscated during the 2004 nationwide operation in the removal of horserace machines and destroying them especially in the National Capital District (NCD).
They were originally kept at a warehouse in Gordon’s Gabaka Street in the custody of the National Gaming Control Board as court exhibits.
However, they went missing, believed to be destroyed and lack of police investigation until 2006 led to the recovery of the machines yesterday.
The lock-up was witnessed by Assistant Police Commissioner (Crime), Raphael Huafolo.
The investigation was led by a special police operation called “Operation O Arise” commanded by Chief Insp operations Joe Gawi.
Insp Gawi said with the new law passed last May 1, these machines are illegal in the country.
He said yesterday that tampering, damaging or destroying court exhibits lead to contempt of court and the police are still investigating how these machines went ‘missing’ while in the custody of the National Gaming Control Board.
He said “Operations O Arise” has been set up to uphold integrity of individual police and the force itself against the infighting that caused police to become victims of the Government departments responsible for issuing “illegal” licenses.
Insp Gawi said the police became victims and were arrested because they thought they were protecting the rights of these illegal machines and later when they thought they were enforcing the law by removing the machines.
He claimed it caused in-house problems even up to the top management levels of the police headquarters.
He said he had been endorsed by the office of the Police Commissioner, Prime Minister’s Department and the Public Accounts Committee and will only report to them.