Covid food scam: Four OPM officials charged before High Court
Left to right: Mr Martin Owor (Commissioner of disaster preparedness), Mr Joel Wanjala (accounting officer), Ms Christine Guwatudde (OPM Permanent Secretary), and Mr Fred Lutimba (assistant commissioner, procurement) appear before Buganda Road Court, April 14, 2020. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Court has heard that investigations in the matter are complete with partial disclosures being made to the defense lawyers.
The Anti-Corruption Court has set March next year to start hearing of a case in which four top officials from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) are implicated in the Covid-19 food scam.
The officials who include the Permanent Secretary Ms Christine Guwatudde Kintu, Accountant Mr Joel Wanjala, Assistant Commissioner for Procurement Mr Fred Lutimba and Commissioner for Disaster Management Mr Martin Owor appeared before Justice Margaret Tibulya and denied all the twenty-three charges slapped against them by the state.
The group faces twelve counts related to abuse of office and eleven others on false accounting.
Court has heard that investigations in the matter are complete with partial disclosures being made to the defense lawyers.
"This case is adjourned to March 19, 2021, and March 26, 2021 with orders of making full disclosures and consultations," Justice Tibulya said.
Prosecution led by Mr Nicolas Kawoya alleges that the accused persons did acts prejudicial to their employer when they prepared and issued false entries between March 31 and April 8, 2020 in award letters to several companies to supply Covid-19 relief items such as maize and milk worth more than Shs32 billion in total disregard of the procurement procedures.
Prosecution further states that the group contracted several companies that included; Aponye Uganda Limited which was given Shs19 billion to supply several kilograms of maize each at Shs3, 000, Mandela Millers Limited which was given Shs9 billion and Afro Kai Limited which was paid Shs2 billion.
The other companies include Mehta Group C/o SCOUL which was given Shs900 million, Operation Wealth Creation which was paid Shs450 million, Pearl Dairy Farmers Limited with a bill of Shs525 million, Nmacks Investments Limited Shs225 million and Global Center Limited Shs240 million.
It is also alleged that the accused persons used their offices to defraud government after making false entries of the award letters to the companies to supply relief items purporting that the money had been allocated by the OPM contracts committee which was false.
