Virus lockdown: ISO operative jailed for issuing govt stickers to unauthorised persons
At work. Traffic police officers removed fake stickers from vehicles during an operation in Kampala on April 18. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Twelve people who were captured by CCTV cameras, while in bars contrary to the curfew restrictions were remanded for disobeying lawful orders.
- The suspects were rounded up by village patrol units including Local Defence Unit (LDU) operatives and police in Kyebando and Kamwokya slums in Kampala.
An Internal Security Organisation (ISO) operative attached to the Ministry of Works and Transport, who was involved in the distribution of Covid-19 motor vehicle movement stickers, has been remanded to Kitalya Prison.
Mr Stephen Ariongo Osikol, who was working as an events and promotions manager with ISO, confessed that he issued government stickers to unauthorised persons.
He pleaded guilty to accusations of breach of trust by a person employed in Public Service and unlawful possession of government stores at the Magistrate’s Court on Buganda Road.
Mr Osikol told court that he issued the car stickers to four Pakistani nationals, who run a restaurant, a bar and car bond afterthey presented to him a letter and other identifications showing that they were in food distribution business, which formed the basis for him to issue the stickers on April 14.
Grade One Magistrate Dorothy Bagyenyi remanded Osikol to Kitalya Prison until May 8 for sentencing.
He was charged jointly with businessmen of Pakistan origin; Ali Sabir, the director of Alibaba Restaurant; Ali Noshad, a director of Jambo Auto Motors and Imran Usama Behlum of JP Africa Jambo Auto Mart.
They also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of government stores.
Prosecution states that between April 6 and April 9 at the Ministry of Works and Transport in Kampala, Mr Osikol while employed in ISO as an Events and Protocol Officer and assigned in the ministry to take part in the distribution of car stickers, issued them to unauthorised persons.
Last week, police and other security agencies conducted an operation and arrested many people, who illegally acquired Covid-19 vehicle movement stickers.
Four arrested
Meanwhile, four businessmen have been arrested in a joint operation by the State House Anti-corruption Unit and police in Munyonyo in Makindye Division and Kisaasi in Nakawa Division. They are Sande Mpembe, Wycliff Musinguzi, Henry Musoke, and Innocent Kavuma, who are currently detained at Katwe and Kisaasi police stations.
State House detectives said two of the suspects were arrested while driving cars with suspected forged stickers while the other two were arrested with forged stickers.
Police said the suspects held more than 100 stickers with categories of manufacturing, food stores and food deliveries.
12 remanded
Curfew directives defied. Twelve people who were captured by CCTV cameras, while in bars contrary to the curfew restrictions were remanded for disobeying lawful orders. The suspects were rounded up by village patrol units including Local Defence Unit (LDU) operatives and police in Kyebando and Kamwokya slums in Kampala. They denied the charges before Magistrate …..Bagyenyi and were remanded until May 8.
Prosecution states that at trial, it will rely on the evidence of Kyebando Police Station OC, who received a call from policeheadquarters informing him that there were people (suspects) being seen on CCTV cameras around Kyebando, sitting in bars past 7pm, the mandatory time for everybody to be indoors under the curfew.
