Four pastors have been questioned by police in Gulu following the lodging of a complaint by an American national, Carole Veazey, against them.
Veazey is the director of Favor of God Ministries. She and her husband, Benjamin Oteka, also a pastor, are involved in a bitter divorce and wrangle over funds and property of the ministry.
According to police, Veazey reported a case to police in Kampala on December 31. She alleges that on December 24, 2015, the four pastors met at Gulu Bible community church to conspire to murder her.
Pastor Janani Loum, Pastor Onen Martine, Pastor James Ochan and Pastor Victor Apire have already made statements with police on the allegations against them. However, one of them, Pastor Francisco Onen is yet to make his statement.
Kwanya Wilson, the Aswa regional Police commander said the case against the pastors is a general inquiry under file GEF 29/2015, and that it is meant to ascertain the allegation of conspiracy to murder.
“As of now there is nobody being charged for any crime. That one is a general inquiry file to establish whether the allegation is true,’’ said Kwanya.
‘‘After recording all the statements they must first forward the file to state attorney who will read and he will find out whether there is a case to answers. If he sanctions it that is when it will become a criminal case but as of now there is no criminal case against the pastors,’’ Kwanya added.
The pastors denied the allegation saying their meeting was to discuss away forward on how to assist their colleague Benjamin Oteka who is remanded at Luzira Maximum security prison for allegedly embezzling 353 million shillings from Favor of God Ministries, among others.
Oteka appeared before the anti-corruption court on December 22 last year and was remanded to prison.
The accused pastors told this reporter that they were 35 in the meeting but wondered why Carole Veazey only accused five of them.
