Lwamafa, Obey sent back to Luzira

L-R: Former ministry of Public Service permanent secretary Jimmy Lwamafa, former director for research and development Stephen Kunsa, and former principal accountant Christopher Obey arrive at the Anti-Corruption Court in Kampala on Thursday August 27. photo by DOMINIC BUKENYA

What you need to know:

Argument. Prosecution claims the suspects might interfere with the investigations as they reportedly did in the Shs165b pension scam

Kampala.

Former permanent secretary for ministry of Public Service Jimmy Lwamafa and his former principal accountant Christopher Obey were yesterday remanded to Luzira prison until Monday when court will decide whether they should be released on bail.
The suspects, who are jointly charged with embezzlement of pension money, appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court and applied to be released on bail pending the hearing of their case.

They were remanded last week on fresh charges of fraudulent budgeting of more than Shs88 billion of retired civil servants’ pension as purported contributions to National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

During submissions regarding the suspects’ bail application yesterday, State prosecutors Barbara Kawuma and Marion Acio objected to their release on account that they would interfere with witnesses in the case.

Ms Acio said there was a high risk of the suspects to bribe the witnesses as it happened in the previous case of Shs165 billion pension money which collapsed after witnesses and some police investigators were bribed to defeat justice.

“The applicants have been accused of having interfered with investigations as published by Daily Monitor newspaper when they bribed investigating officers and also attempted to bribe the director of CIID, Grace Akullo,” she said.

Ms Acio also told court that the pension case is of great public interest since it involves colossal sums of money, warning that corruption cases should be taken seriously as they deprive the would-be beneficiaries of the legitimate benefits.

The State prosecutors also argued that Mr Lwamafa had not proved to court that he was of advanced age or suffers chronic diseases as claimed to justify being released on bail.

However, defence lawyers Evans Ochieng and Godfrey Himbaza asked court to release their clients on bail, saying the same allegations of bribing witnesses had not been substantiated.
Mr Ochieng said the newspaper article, which was cited about bribing the witnesses, could not be relied on in court as evidence to prove the allegations, adding that it was a mere opinion of the journalist.

In trying to prove that Lwamafa is of advanced age, Mr Ochieng asked him to stand up in court so that the presiding judge Margaret Tibulya could clearly see him.

According to the charge sheet, the suspects are charged with eight counts of corruption ranging from causing financial loss, abuse of office, false accounting to conspiracy to defraud government.

OTHERS NOT HEARD

Justice Tibulya did not hear the bail application of their co-accused, Mr Stephen Kunsa Kiwanuka, former director for research and development and the third suspect as his papers were not on court record.