An internal Audit report shows that nearly all the judicial officers have been engaging in misappropriation of public funds after they established a separate Finance and Budget committee that excluded the top accounting officers of the sector.
The document landed on by this website shows how much each of the officers received for the finacial years 2014/15, 2015/16, 2017/18 and 2018/2019.
The document further sheds light on how government money is misused by those by the top most judicial officers.
The document also shows that even the Chief Justice, Bart Katureebe, and his deputy are also culpable for the financial bonanza at the judiciary.
Nearly all the top officials have also been receiving payments on personal accounts or money received by their personal assistants for ‘ghost activities.’
According to documents available, the Judiciary created a parallel committee, chaired by Supreme Court judge, Jotham Tumwesigye. Other members are Justice Cheberion Barishaki, Justice Gadenya Paul, Esther Nambayo, Aggrey wunyi, Fred Waninda, Felix Okurut, Naigo steven, Isah Serunkuma, Isaac Muwata, Christopher Ebel, G, Opifeni, Agnes Nkonge, Boniface Wamala, Philip[ Odoki, Susan abinyo, Siu Langu, and the
Judiciary Permanent secretary has not been a member of this committee and a source privy to the dealings at the judiciary says it became difficult for him to enforce discipline and standard government financial management and accounting procedures..
Consequently, allocations and budgets were altered leaving the accounting process in a mess and the PS only left with the role of disbursing funds instead of ensuring accountability.
According to the documents available, a huge amount of funds lost that are now being queried by the PAC go far back during the time of Dorcus Okalany as PS.
It should be noted that Kagole Kivumbi was posted to the sector in November 2016, taking over from Okalany but inherited her debts from creditors, suppliers, landlords among others.
According to the auditor General’s report, almost 1bn shillings NSSF remittances was stolen and the culprits were never held accountable during this time, of Okalany and Kivumbi was not yet at the Judiciary.
Judiciary Training Institute Nakawa (JTI) Justice Peter Adonyo failed to account for UGX1.14bn that was remitted to the institute.
It is shocking that the Auditor general in the past was never able to see UNICEF money was stolen, NSSF money was not remitted,yet the money was deducted from Judiciary staff. The question is who took the money and why didn’t Auditor general see this?
A lot of Ghost staff were on the pay roll that Kivumbi cleaned up but this was never queried by the office of the auditor general which makes us believe they were compromised by the former PS Dorcus Okalany.
But When Kivumbi refused to pay them any money, preferring to explain the mischarges that had always been a problem for the Judiciary as per the letter seen by our reporter dated 9th March 2016, to the Accountant General, for Request for creation of new budget item on the chart of accounts, written by the former PS/SJ Dorcus Okalany.
A credible source says that Chief Justice created his own finance Committee full of Judicial officers so that they could make allocations as they wished.
“It means they allocate and budget for the money as they please without his input disregarding the way it was originally allocated as per the passed budget in Parliament.
To avoid conflicts with Judicial officers, he gave in to them…to do what they want and that is why we have a crisis,” the source said.
According to the audit report, the following senior judicial officers received the following amounts of money whose accountability is being queried.
ChiefJustice-2,009,714,636
Deputy chief Justice-675,554,844
Principal Judge-868m
Chief Registrar-731m
-Registrar High court-1.3bn
Registrar Criminal division-1bn
Registrar ICD- 289m
Under Secretary-78m
Registrar supreme court-2.2bn
Registrar-court of appeal-6.8bn
Registrar-commercial court-949m
High court Mbale-1.7bn
High court Lira-749m
High court Mbarara 1.3bn
High court Masaka 1.1bn
High court Mubende-523m
High court Gule -1.5bn
High court Jinja-2bn
High court soroti-856m
Documents also that officials were involved in a cash bonanza and money was deposited on personal accounts for activities that never took place and no accountabilities were provided.
Some of the payments include
Muhindo Ngene-182m,
Katongole Francis- 161m
Solomon Muyita-360m
Mandu Julius -374m
Sheila Wamboga -43m
Further documents show money for operations was paid into individual accounts of judges and top judicial officers as follows:
Owiny dollo-275m
Steven Kavuma 519m
Principal Judge Bamwine-231m,
Justice Gadenya-236m
Isaac Muwata – 289m
Wamala Boniface -237m
Natwijuka Aloysius 591m
Philip Odoki- 247m
Lumunye PA/ PS -402m
Lubowa Daniel Personal Assistant to Deputy chief Justice-936m
A source says that Kagole Kivumbi’s trouble started after he centralised the system of payments of bail money which has now accumulated to UGx24bn.
Previously, court officers would share this money. Previously, bail money was taken by registrars and judges who were signatories to specific court accounts.
At the centre of this corruption in the judiciary, is the issue of tribalism.
Its believed that judicial officers from Bugisu region who previously occupied most of offices from the days of former chief Justice, Benjamin Odoki have been openly fighting Kagole Kivumbi because he stopped some of their schemes that they previously used to draw money out the judiciary budget.
Before Kagole was posted to Judiciary, it has also emerged that ghost staff had been created and were receiving salaries and allowances. When Kagole Kivumbi initiated a staff audit, this did not go down well with some people.
The role of PAC’s Nandala Mafabi in this scheme has been evident as he went personal against Kagole Kivumbi even when it was clear that most of the queries in the auditor General’s report started from 2015, 2015 and 2016 before KK was at the Judiciary.
PAC has been accused of misconduct after some people claimed that Nandala Mafabi has been receiving bribes from Government bureaucrats who have queries in their accounts.
He did not hesitate to help his tribemate the Bagisu who make the biggest number in the Judiciary and it is hoped he will send Kivumbi to the Anti- Corruption Court where another Judge at Anti- Corruption Court is expected to send him to Luzira for sins that clearly are not his.
At the time Kagole Kivumbi was transferred to the Judiciary, President Yoweri Museveni and the IGG had complained that this sector was the second most corrupt institution after Police.
