Police rearrest suspects over illicit wealth claims
The interdicted principal accountant for pensions in the Ministry of Public Service, Mr Christopher Obey, at the CIID headquarters in Kibuli. Mr Obey went to the headquarters to find out why police had gone to his house. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA.
What you need to know:
The two Public Service accountants were rearrested after findings that they were withdrawing monies from their accounts and selling off their property.
Kampala
Two of the suspects named in the Shs169 billion allegedly paid to ghost pensioners, were yesterday rearrested as police intensified their investigations into the pensions scam.
Mr David Oloka, the senior assistant accountant for pensions in the Ministry of Public Service, was arrested following a police raid at his home, while Mr Christopher Obey reported himself to the CIID headquarters, where he had gone to report a number of police officers searching his home.
The Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Directorate (CIID), said the duo was arrested on charges of illicit accumulation of wealth after it was established that they were allegedly withdrawing money from their accounts and selling off their property.
The police raid
According to Mr Nathan Osinde, the lawyer to the duo, about 30 police officers, clad in uniform and casual attire, raided Mr Oloka’s home in Muyenga, while others remained stationed at Mr Obey’s house in Bugolobi, searching the entire premises.
Mr Oloka has been working under Mr Obey’s supervision. The two are among 17 suspects under investigation for their alleged involvement in a case of fraud, said to have taken place between 2009 and 2012, out of which Shs10 billion was disbursed to ghost pensioners between July and September.
While the list of ghost pensioners was recovered from Mr Obey’s office, Mr Oloka’s office harboured schedules from Bank of Uganda, indicating payments made to the ghosts. Mr Oloka is being faulted for alleged connivance, having failed to reconcile the schedules with the matching files, thus failing to detect and prevent the fraud.
Based on the preliminary findings, the two are tentatively being charged of forgery, fraud, conspiracy to de-fraud and causing a financial loss. If the new charges of illicit accumulation of wealth are carried on, the duo will tentatively be battling more than five charges.
It was also alleged that Mr Oloka’s driver, Mr Keneth Tulomwe, went missing on Friday night. Mr Obey and his lawyers yesterday made a statement to the effect at the CIID headquarters in Kibuli.
According to the statements, Mr Tulomwe allegedly left his home on Friday morning to handle his usual schedule. He picked Mr Oloka from Beijing Restaurant in Kabalagala where he was meeting Mr Obey and dropped him back to his home in Muyenga, having agreed to meet in the morning at 9am.
Mr Oloka is alleged to have attempted to get in touch with the driver to no avail after which he attempted contacting Mr Tulomwe’s family but they had not seen him since the day before his disappearance.
