Six senior officials at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), who were previously remanded to Luzira prison on allegations of embezzling funds intended for Karamoja peace-building activities, have been granted bail on Friday, June 16, 2023.

The six individuals, who pleaded not guilty to various corruption charges, represent the first group of government technocrats to face prosecution by the Inspectorate of Government for their involvement in the mismanagement of relief items and funds designated for vulnerable communities in the Karamoja Sub-region.

The accused individuals are Deogratious Masigazi, the Undersecretary/Head of Department of Pacification and Development; Barbra Asasira, the Principal Assistant Secretary; Joshua Abaho, the Senior Assistant Secretary; Emmy Tonny Ameny, the Assistant Commissioner of Programs; Peter Amodoi, the Program Officer; and Samuel Ofungi, the Senior Assistant Secretary.

Presiding over the case at the Anti-Corruption Court, Senior Principal Magistrate Grade One, Abert Asiimwe, granted bail to the accused individuals.

As part of the bail conditions, each defendant was required to deposit their passports and copies of land titles with the court and refrain from frequenting their offices.

Additionally, the Magistrate ordered the accused to deposit cash with the court to secure their release.

Masigazi deposited Shs20 million, while his sureties were bonded at Shs100 million (non-cash). Asasira deposited Shs10 million, and Ameny deposited Shs7 million, with their respective sureties bonded at Shs40 million (non-cash).

Amodoi deposited Shs4 million, and his sureties were each bonded at Shs30 million (non-cash). Ofungi deposited Shs1 million, while each of his sureties was bonded at Shs5 million (non-cash).

The variations in the bail amounts for each accused person were determined based on the variations in the offenses committed, as each individual faced different charges corresponding to their specific roles.

Geofrey Sseremba, listed as the first suspect on the charge sheet, is yet to be arrested and did not appear in court.

The magistrate ordered Sseremba to appear at the next mention of the case and enter a plea, warning that failure to do so would result in a warrant for his arrest on July 26, 2023.

The accused are facing up to 12 related corruption charges, including causing financial loss, abuse of office, and embezzlement. For instance, in count one of causing financial loss, it is alleged that Sseremba and Masigazi approved over Shs4 billion without proper work plans or genuine activities to be carried out by their colleagues at the OPM.

Under count two of abuse of office, they are accused of arbitrarily approving cash payments exceeding Shs4 billion to various staff members without following guidelines.

The acts described by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) are said to have been prejudicial to the government.

According to the charge sheet, Abaho is separately charged with embezzlement of Shs2 billion, which was advanced to him for coordinating initiatives in the Karamoja region. He also faces charges related to the alleged diversion of iron sheets and a separate count of abuse of office concerning the same amount.

Asasira faces embezzlement charges amounting to Shs522 million, which was advanced to her for coordinating peace-building initiatives in Karamoja, as well as a separate count of abuse of office.

Amenyi is accused of stealing Shs225 million, also intended for peace-building initiatives, while Amodoi and Ofungi are charged with embezzling Shs100 million and Shs69 million, respectively, which were designated for coordinating peace-building activities in Karamoja.

The prosecution highlighted that Ofungi failed to carry out the said activities.

According to IGG Beti Kamya Turwomwe in a charge sheet, the interdicted employees were involved in activities that resulted in substantial financial loss to the government.

Kamya noted that the investigation revealed cases of irregularities in procurement processes, mismanagement of funds, and unauthorized use of government resources contrary to Section 20, Section 11 (1) and (2), and Section 19 (a), (d), (iii) of the Anti-Corruption Act 2009 as amended.

In addition to the accused OPM officials, three ministers, including Kitutu, Nandutu, and Lugoloobi, have been charged in relation to the mismanagement of iron sheets intended for vulnerable individuals in Karamoja.

These ministers, facing graft charges, are being prosecuted by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and are currently out on bail, intensely denying the accusations against them.