The Inspectorate of Government (IG) Betty Kamya has Wednesday afternoon arrested arrested 6 senior officials from Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) over theft of shs 5 billion and abuse of office.
According to the office of IG, these officials will be arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court in Kololo later today.
The culprits are charged with 12 counts including abuse of office, embezzlement of public funds and causing financial loss of more than shs 5 billion to government.
They include two undersecretaries Geoffrey Sseremba and Deogratious Masigazi , Senior Assistant Abaho Joshua Secretaries and SamuelOfungi , Principal Assistant Secretary Barbara Asasira, Assistant Commissioner Programmes Emmy Tony Ameny, and Programmes officer PeterOmodoi.
Information from the IG’s office indicates that between February and June 2022, it is alleged that Sseremba Godfrey and Masigazi Deogratias while performing their duties as accounting officers and Head of Department respectively in the OPM, approved a total cash payment of 4,497,132,000 to various staff within OPM without any proper work plan nor genuine activity to be carried out while knowing or having reason to believe that their acts would cause financial loss.
The charge sheets says their actions caused a loss of UGX3,347,491,000 (Three Billion, three hundred and forty seven million, four hundred ninety one thousand shillings to the OPM.
During the same period, it is alleged that Joshua Abaho while employed as senior assistant secretary OPM stole UGX2,473,154,000 (approx 2.5BN) advanced to him for coordinating various peace building initiatives in Karamoja region to which he had access of his office.
The same officer Abaho was a few months ago sent to Luzira Prison for stealing iron sheets meant for vulnerable Karamojongs. He was later granted bail by Anti-Corruption Court.
Abaho, according to the charge sheet, failed to account for the above amount, an arbitrary act prejudicial to the interest of the OPM. He will be charged with embezzlement and abuse of office contrary to Sections 11(1) and (2) of the Anti-corruption Act 2009.
The four others; Asasira Barbara (538 million), Emmy Tony Ameny 225 million), Amodoi Peter 100 million, Ofungi Samuel 69 million, have been charged with embezzlement and abuse of office for stealing public funds.
