OPM officer accused of embezzling refugee money granted bail
The Anti-Corruption Court yesterday released on bail an employee of Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) accused of embezzling refugee funds.
Mr Bruno Asiimwe, an assistant settlement commandant for Base Camp Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Isingiro District, appeared before Magistrate Moses Nabande. He denied the eight counts of fraud and false accounting.
Mr Nabende granted Mr Asiimwe a non-cash bail of Shs3m after presenting two sureties who committed a bond of Shs7m (not cash).
“I have listened to both the state and defence lawyers. The offences committed by the accused are bailable and he is still presumed innocent until proved guilty,” the magistrate held.
Mr Asiimwe is facing the charges alongside two other people who were not present in court to take plea. They are Mr John Bosco Sentamu, a settlement commandant also attached to OPM, and one Hauziri, a head teacher of Nakivale Secondary School. The court issued criminal summons for them to appear on July 7.
The State prosecutor, Mr James Khauka, contends that the three accused in September 2016 at Kabahinda Police Post in Nakivale Refugee Settlement were privy to making false entries in the compensation agreement between eight refugees, OPM and Windle Trust Uganda that falsely indicated these refugees were paid more than Shs18m as compensation for their crops on the land for expansion of Nakivale Secondary School.
Mr Sentamu is also independently charged with another count of false accounting, which is privy to making false entries in the payment sheet that falsely indicated that plotters were paid Shs1m as facilitation for securing alternative land for refugees affected in the expansion of Nakivale Secondary School.
