The prosecution has lined up seven witnesses to testify against Amos Lugoloobi, the state minister for finance and economic planning, who is accused of diverting iron sheets intended for Karamoja’s poor citizens.
At the Office of the Prime Minister Stores in Namanve, Mukono District, as well as various locations in Matugga, Wakiso District, and Ntejeru North Constituency in Kayunga District, Prosecution claims that Lugoloobi handled seven hundred pre-painted iron sheets bearing the label “Office of the Prime Minister.”
The aforementioned iron sheets were acquired in two batches: three hundred iron sheets were acquired between February 1, 2023, and March 16, 2023, and four hundred iron sheets were gained between July 14, 2022, and February 2023.
After that, the minister was taken into custody and accused of handling suspicious property. He was committed to stand trial by the Chief Magistrates Court in July 2023.
Josephine Namatovu, the Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, notified the court today that she has prepared seven witnesses who are prepared to appear in the case when it reopens next week.
She also mentioned that she could not reply when the issue arose this morning because she had gotten Lugoloobi’s appointment letter late.
Among the records, the prosecution plans to demonstrate that Lugoloobi is a minister who abused his position.
The hearing in this matter has now been postponed until October 25. John Isabirye, Lugoloobi’s attorney, also told the court that his group was prepared to defend the minister on the designated days.
If found guilty, Lugoloobi faces a maximum fine of 160 currency points (3.2 million) or seven years in prison or both.
He is one of the three Ministers that the Anti-Corruption court is trying in relation to the Karamoja iron sheet scam.
The others are Agness Nandutu, the state minister for Karamoja affairs, and Mary Gorreti Kitutu, her senior minister.
She is accused of conspiring with her brother, Michael Naboya Kitutu, on six counts of causing property loss and defrauding the Ugandan government.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Jane Frances Abodo has since closed the case files of 17 other prominent politicians, including MPs, Ministers, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Vice President, who were first connected to the same scandal due to insufficient evidence.
