Major-General James Kazini, who was fired from his top army in 2003 after being accused by a UN panel of using his troops to plunder during the 1998-2003 war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), faces nine counts of fraud.

According to the charge sheet read by the senior general presiding at his court martial, Kazini is accused of inflating a battalion under his command as army chief by up to 440 non-existent soldiers whose salaries he drew.

He also faces charges of conspiracy, disobeying lawful orders and forgery, according to court documents that say he bilked the army of at least 261 million Ugandan shillings (144,000 dollars, 127,000 euros) through the scam.

After the DRC war, Kazini was named by UN experts as one of 54 people -- including more than 20 senior military and political officials in Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the DRC itself -- of leading "elite networks" that exploited the DRC's minerals, timber and wildlife during the conflict.

He was sacked as army chief in June 2003 after the report came out and a Ugandan judicial panel confirmed the allegations, but had not faced any charges until the ghost soldier allegations surfaced in December of that year.

Kazini was released on cash bail of the equivalent of about 1,100 dollars (940 euros) and sureties of a similar amount and ordered to appear before the tribunal twice a month pending his as-yet unscheduled court martial.