Hotel staff charged with Shs700m theft
Two Imperial Royale staff have been charged in court with fraud in the alleged theft of Shs700m and causing financial loss to government.
They are Mr Edison Kizito Nsubuga, a banquet coordinator, and Mr Simon Ndoo, the banquet manager, both working at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala. They were also charged with causing financial loss of more than Shs470m to government.
The duo was accused of forgery, preparing and approving several banquet invoices worth more than Shs713m purporting that Imperial Royale Hotel had provided banquet services to Gaming Regulatory Board and the Ministry of Finance.
Mr Nsubuga and Mr Ndoo denied the charges before Chief Magistrate Pamela Lamunu Ocaya of the Anti-Corruption Court at Kololo. They were released on bail and the trial has been fixed for August 19.
The two are jointly charged with Mr Edgar Agaba, a former chief executive officer of Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board, and former manager for Finance and Administration, Mr John Patrick Kazoora.
Both Mr Agaba and Mr Kazoora who were released on bail in July last year are also facing charges of embezzlement and causing financial loss.
Prosecution alleges that in December 2018, Mr Nsubuga and Mr Ndoo being employed by Imperial Royale Hotel, prepared and approved banquet kitchen order tickets for payment of more than Shs470m by Ministry of Finance purporting to have provided banqueting services for a four-day Kampala Central Division Gaming Regulation Educational Clinic and Workshop from December 10 to December 13, 2018, whereas not knowing or having reason to believe that their acts would cause financial loss to government.
Prosecution also alleges that between October 2018 and February this year at Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board offices in Kampala, Mr Agaba and Mr Kazoora stole Shs352.5m belonging to the government.
The two are also being probed by the Anti-Corruption Unit of State House in regard to abuse of office.
